A Hectic Summer
by skittyscatter
Summary: Summer vacation is here, meaning school's out. While they're rid of problems like school work, May, Misty, Dawn and Leaf struggle to contain their feelings for Drew, Ash, Paul and Gary; but will the boys feel the same? Contest/Poke/Ikari/Oldrival/Quest
1. School's Out!

**Me: Guys I'm wondering if I'm doing too many stories at once…**

**Drew: Yeah you probably are and will keep deleting them.**

**Me: Shut up Drew! Anyways, I just felt I should upload a story to celebrate the summer holidays, plus it's my B-day today! That's right, people! The day of my birth! **

**Drew: That must have been a terrible day…**

**Me: No it wasn't! Now everyone give a big cheer for it!**

**People: …**

**Me: Fine! Geez! Anyways, this is like a B-day gift from me to my readers; whoever reads this! I hope you guys like it! Oh, yeah, I do not own Pokemon by the way in case some of you are confused…I mean it's pretty obvious, and who would think that I was anyways? So since I don't like repeating it since we all know this, and that I have a bad memory and may forget to say this in later chapters, this one disclaimer will stand for the whole story! So, without further ado, here it is!**

**Chapter One **

**School's Out!**

**May's POV**

The sound of a ringing bell seemed to echo throughout the school. As I made my way to my locker, I could see people cheering at the idea of having no school, while others were upset at not seeing their friends for the whole summer. Me? Well, I was being my usual happy self. Besides, I would still be seeing May and Misty over the summer seeing as how close we live to each other; we were all in the same neighborhood.

"May!" Hearing my name, I turned around to see Misty and Dawn running towards me and tackling me into a tight hug. I just looked around confusedly, unsure of what to do. So naturally, I just said the first thing that came into my mind.

"Um…?" I blurted out ever so intelligently.

Misty and Dawn laughed at how my face had 'what?' written all over it. I just pouted.

"So do you guys care to tell me why you guys just came up and hugged me all of a sudden?"

Dawn's eyes became misty. "We were just going to miss you sooo much over the summer!"

I rolled my eyes. "Dawn, I'm still in the same neighborhood even if I'm not in the same street as you guys." Yeah, Dawn and Misty were neighbors, and Paul and Ash, their crushes, even if they won't admit it and would kill me if I said that, lived right across the street from them. I, on the other hand, lived next to-

"Don't think too much and hurt yourself, May," Came the _very _arrogant voice of my said neighbor.

I turned around and glared at him. "Shut up, Drew," **(AN: We all saw that coming)**

He smirked and flicked his hair. "Like I'd listen to someone as small minded as you,"

Before I could retort, Misty intervened by stepping in between us. "Break it up, guys."

"He started it," I said indignantly, crossing my arms over my chest.

She rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah well it doesn't matter. Just stop the fighting."

"But you and Ash fight all the time." I pointed out.

She blushed. "W-well that's different.

I raised an eyebrow. "How?"

She turned her head. "It just is!"

"No it-" I stopped mid protest as she turned her head and glared at me."Um, yeah, it's way different." I amended quickly.

"What's different?" I looked to my left to see Ash heading our way with Paul next to him.

"Nothing!" Misty responded a bit too quickly.

"Ok then I guess," Ash said, nodding.

_Wow, he actually bought it. _I thought amusedly.

"Congrats, we finally found someone actually more dense than you," Drew whispered in my ear.

"I am _not _dense!" I snapped at him aloud, getting a few stares from a few people passing by and our friends.

"We never said you were, May." Misty said.

I stared at the tiles on the floor, embarrassed. Luckily for me, that was the moment hyperactive Leaf bounded in, dragging a sulking Gary behind her and drawing the attention to them instead, leaving my outburst forgotten.

"Why's Gary sulking?" Ash asked, glancing at said boy.

"Aw, he's just a sore loser because I beat him in a race during track!" Leaf answered, smiling broadly.

"You only won because of all the soda you had!" Gary said.

Leaf huffed and crossed her arms over her chest before turning away. "See what I mean?"

We all nodded while Gary glared at us, causing us to shrink back a bit.

"I should've known you guys would be on her side…" He mumbled.

Drew gave him a careless shrug. "We weren't on anyone's side; but it's just true that you're a sore loser."

"You're not helping here, Drew." Gary growled.

"It's true you know." Paul added in his usual emotionless way.

"Yeah, you're not exactly the best in sportsmanship, Gary." Ash chimed in.

Gary groaned. "Great, my best friends all ganging up on poor me."

"Hey! We girls aren't your best friends too?" I exclaimed, with a wave of my arm for emphasis. We'd all known each other since kindergarden, so shouldn't we be his best friends too?

"Well you're my best girl friends, but technically they're my best friends." He answered, earning a punch on his shoulder from all us girls.

"Hey!"

"You deserved it," Leaf said, the rest of us girls nodding in agreement.

"Hey guys, wasn't there something we were supposed to do today?" Ash interrupted us, tapping a finger on his chin in thought.

Everyone's eyes widened in realization before one thing ran through our minds.

_Oh, crap!_

And we dashed out of the building, eventually stopping in front of a small ice cream shop before pushing open the doors, causing a bell to ring and signaling there was a customer. Sitting at a table was a pretty girl with light blue hair, who usually gave off a cheery and girly aura, although today, she just seemed irritated and pissed off.

"Marina!" I called, causing her to look up at us upon hearing her name.

"We're sorry we're late!" I heard Misty apologizing beside me.

"Well it's about time you guys got here…" She muttered.

Dawn smiled apologetically. "We're sorry, Marina, we just all got caught up in a conversation…"

"We didn't mean to be late," Leaf said.

"Yeah, we're sorry, honest." Ash chimed in, being the only boy who actually decided to speak up and say sorry due to their 'manly pride'.

Marina grinned, the irritation in her features suddenly seeming to disappear into thin air. "Ok then!" She chirped. "I accept your apologies!"

We all sweatdropped.

"…Okay then…" I scratched my head awkwardly.

We all sat down. "So, where's Jimmy?" I asked. Jimmy was Marina's boyfriend, and we'd known him for just as long as all the other boys.

"Oh, he had to leave early because his family really wanted to see him, since they hadn't seen him for so long." She responded. Jimmy had gone on a vacation with Marina and her mom (unfortunately her mother and father divorced when she was around ten so she's living with her mom).

Hearing this, the boys decided to leave, not seeing the point in being here if Jimmy wasn't here. But as soon as they were gone, Marina spoke up. "So, have you guys gotten together yet?"

Misty, Dawn, Leaf and I all blushed a deep shade of scarlet. "W-what?" We stuttered in unison.

"You know what I mean; have you guys gotten together with Drew, Ash, Paul and Gary yet?"

"T-that's n-never going t-to happen!" I found myself stuttering once again.

"Oh, yeah sure just keep on telling yourself that," She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I mean, it's just so obvious you guys like each other!" She squealed, her eyes glinting with something I didn't like. "And besides, if you guys don't get together soon, then they'll end up taken; cause you guys have to admit, they are _hot_!"

"There is _no_ way I'm getting together with Paul!" Dawn shrieked, earning a few stares from customers around us. She blushed and looked away.

"I never said you were getting together with Paul in particular," Marina said slyly.

"W-well, y-you meant it!" Dawn retorted.

"Guys, we all know Dawn has a crush on Paul so now let's just move on," Misty said.

Dawn glared at her. "_Not _helping. And what about you and Ash?"

Now it was Misty's turn to blush. "I don't like him!" She protested, surprisingly not stuttering; probably from all the years of practice she got from the millions of accusations of them being boyfriend and girlfriend.

"Riiiiiight…" Dawn seemed to have sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"Very convincing, Misty," Wow, since when did Marina and Dawn start teaming up to tease Misty?

Leaf and I just stood by on the sidelines, enjoying the show and glad we weren't the ones that were getting the teasing right now.

Misty mouthed a 'help' with her mouth, but Leaf and I just smirked and shook our heads at her.

Somewhere in the conversation, Misty was able to direct it to Leaf and Gary. "Oh, yeah, we forgot about you for a moment there, Leafy!" Marina chirped happily.

Leaf groaned and rested her head in her arms on the table.

"Aw, c'mon, Leafy, we all know how much you like Gary and want to talk about him; why don't you talk about him with us?" Dawn asked.

Leaf blushed. "One, I don't like him, and two, I don't want to talk about him."

"You know that's a lie, Leaf," Marina said.

"No, it isn't!" Leaf protested. She then became silent, probably thinking of a way to direct the conversation to something else; I could practically see the gears turning in her head! "Guys, isn't it getting dark? We should be heading home." She spoke up.

We all glanced at the windows to see the dimly lit sky. "Yeah, it does seem to be getting late," Misty observed.

We headed out of the now nearly empty shop; the bell once again ringed as we opened the door. We all lived in the same neighborhood, so we took the same routes home. Our homes weren't far away from the shops, though, so luckily, we reached out neighborhood within ten minutes. We soon passed Misty and Dawn's street, were we separated. There was a fork in the road; there was one path straight and another that went to the left, which was where Misty, Dawn and Marina went (Marina's street is in that direction). Leaf and I just walked in silence; I was absorbed in my own thoughts from back in the ice cream shop.

"_So have you guys gotten together yet?"_

_Misty, Dawn, Leaf and I all blushed a deep shade of scarlet. "W-what?" We stuttered in unison._

"_You know what I mean; have you guys gotten together with Drew, Ash, Paul and Gary yet?"_

"_T-that's n-never going t-to happen!" I found myself stuttering once again._

"_Oh, yeah sure just keep on telling yourself that," She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "I mean, it's just so obvious you guys like each other!" She squealed, her eyes glinting with something I didn't like. "And besides, if you guys don't get together soon, then they'll end up taken; cause you guys have to admit, they are __**hot**__!"_

I could feel myself blushing again and shook my head, wondering why these thoughts were bothering me so much; especially the last part.

"_And besides, if you guys don't get together soon, then they'll end up taken; cause you guys have to admit, they are __**hot**__!"_

There was just something about Drew taken that I didn't like…what was it?

"May! _Hello_! Earth to May!" I snapped out of my thoughts to see Leaf's hand waving in front of my face and said girl calling my name.

"Huh?" I tilted my head in confusion, staring at her curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Well, you were just kinda spaced out there." She responded, eyeing me. "Are you ok?"

I nodded, but then noticed how dark it had become and wondered if she could see it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"That's good to hear. Well, bye!" She waved at me before walking, well, more like skipping, to where I realized was her house; I hadn't seen that we were in front of it.

My house was only a street away, so I'd gotten there in no time at all. I opened the door to find my mom on the phone, seeming worried, but as soon as she saw me, she immediately pulled me into a tight hug.

"Oh, May, you're finally home! I was getting worried and calling everyone to ask if they'd seen you! Are you okay? Did anything happen?"

She continued doting on me for another half hour, until her ranting finally came to an end. "Are you hungry dear?" She asked me, getting up and pausing. I nodded before she continued walking to the kitchen to reheat dinner for me. When she was gone, I sat down on the couch to ponder again about the conversation. It was true that Drew was quite the ladies man; with charming smile, emerald orbs…_Ugh! Get a grip, May! This is __**Drew **__you're thinking about! _ I accidently let out a groan of frustration, before quickly covering my mouth.

"May sweetie, are you okay in there?" My mom called from the kitchen.

"Yes, mom," I called back.

Tomorrow would be the first day of summer vacation, and hopefully, I'd forget about this by the end of it…

**So, how was it? Please review and tell me what you think! Please no flames, but criticism is appreciated! Oh, yeah, I know this first chapter may have been kinda boring, but it was just to start off the story, you know? Anyways, I'll be updating this throughout the summer holidays; my goal's to finish this by then and then maybe start a sequel! Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself, aren't I? Well, anyways, bye for now!**

**~xXFireRoseXx**


	2. First Day of Summer Holidays

**Okay guys, I tried to get this chapter up as fast as possible, and the next chapter will be for the 4****th**** of July (I'll try my best to upload it ASAP but I'm making no promises) Yesterday I went to King's Dominion though, which is basically a theme park that's half regular rides and half waterworks and it took all day so I wasn't able to finish sooner to update. So anyways, thanks for the reviews! Once again, I don't own Pokemon, okay people (I remembered so decided I might as well do that)? So here's the story!**

**Chapter Two**

**First Day of Summer Holidays**

**May's POV**

I heard Round and Round by Selena Gomez **(AN: I just like this song)** playing at my bedside before I opened my eyes.

_We're going round and round_

_We're never gonna stop_

_Going round and round_

_We're never get where we're going_

_Round and rou-_

I reached to my side and pulled my cell phone from my nightstand before flipping it open and bringing it to my ear. "Hello?" I muttered into it. (Hey, I just woke up, okay?)

"Hey, May!" I heard Dawn's voice respond from the other end.

"So is there a reason you woke me up at," I paused to yawn and glance at the clock, but the time I saw made me nearly want to murder Dawn; if only she was here in person instead of the phone… "_Seven in the morning_?" I finished.

"I could practically see her rolling her eyes at me. "Oh come on, May, it's not _that _early,"

"Are you _kidding _me? You have got to be _crazy _if you expect me to wake up this early during summer holidays!"

"Well then call me crazy."

"You know, I'd be sleeping till _noon _if you didn't wake me up!"

"Well, then it's a good thing I'm getting you out of bed so that you won't be wasting your day sleeping! Now get out of bed and get ready for your day, because I already called everyone else and we're going to be meeting at the pool, so don't forget to be ready for swimming!"

"Yeah, whatever," I grumbled into the phone. (Well, I'm not exactly in my best mood considering how early she just woke me up, and if you didn't notice, I'm not exactly a morning person)

I got up, ignoring the temptation to just lay back in bed, but I knew Dawn would kill me if I did, plus everyone else's already gonna be there, including Drew, who'd tease me… Starting the shower, I picked out my outfit for the day, which was a red v neck and white shorts; I was wearing my swimming suit under my clothes, too. I noticed the mirrors becoming misty, but before stepping into the shower, I stuffed a towel and a few other necessary items into a red swimming bag. Well, time to 'get ready for my day', as Dawn says.

**Dawn's POV**

I don't know why May's always so grumpy in the morning; mornings are great! I mean, what's not to like about them? Although, everyone seemed to be kinda like May when I called them…

_Flashback_

_(With Misty)_

"_Hey, Misty!" I chirped into the phone._

"_Dawn, what do you want so early in the morning?" She asked me groggily; I could detect some irritation in her voice._

_(With Leaf)_

"_Hiyahs, Leafy!" I greeted in a sing-song voice._

"_Dawn?" She yawned. "What are you doing up this early?"_

_(With Marina)_

"_Marina! Hey!"_

"…_huh?"_

_(With Ash)_

"_Hey, Ash!"_

"_Um, hi, Dawn…" I could hear snoring on the other end and sweatdropped._

_(With Paul)_

"_Good morning, Paul!"_

"_Not really, considering you just called…"_

_(With Drew)_

"_What's up, Drew?"_

"_Well, you just woke me up early in the morning during summer holidays…"_

_(With Jimmy)_

"_Hey!"_

"…_Um, wrong number?"_

_I sighed as I heard him hang up and began to press his phone number again._

_End Flashback_

Well, my friends all seem to hate waking up early when there's no school, I guess! I finished up the rest of my breakfast before heading out the door to the swimming pool, which was open at this time since it was Saturday. (The pool's open more hours on weekends) I was the first one there besides the lifeguards; guess _everyone_ in the neighborhood just isn't a morning person…I took off my clothes to reveal the bikini I was wearing underneath and walked outside of the changing rooms before sitting down in one of the chairs and lying down, placing my bag down beside me.

_Might as well get some tanning done…_

**Normal POV**

The second one to make it to the pool was Paul, and he couldn't help but notice Dawn's sleeping figure and think she was cute...but he'd never admit that. He could feel a smile coming, but suppressed it and put on his usual emotionless face before shaking Dawn's shoulder gently. She stirred a little before opening her eyes and rubbing them a bit. "Huh? Paul?" She asked softly. She was still feeling a bit lethargic.

Paul could see this and sighed. "Why don't you splash some water on your face to wake you up?" He suggested.

She nodded. "Thanks, Paul!" She slowly rose from her chair, but gave him a quick hug before she went to the bathroom/changing room (you know how it works).

A couple minutes later, Misty had come, accompanied by Ash, who she'd seen on her way there. As soon as Ash had gotten there, he jumped into the water and splashed Misty, who in turn, yelled at him before getting in too; swimming after him when he swam away.

Then Leaf and Gary came; Gary had gone over to Leaf's house yesterday a little before she had gotten home, but it was dark by the time she was there so he slept over seeing as he didn't want to be out at night where who knows what could be out there. Although, he knew the girls would all question him about it later to make sure he didn't try to pull anything on Leaf.

Marina and Jimmy came next; they'd come together considering they live in the same street and were girlfriend and boyfriend. Jimmy had jumped into the water right away as well, but Marina was luckier than Misty and the water didn't splash her; instead…

"Ahh!" Misty once again had water splashed onto her. "Jimmy…" She began dangerously.

"Uh…yeah…?" He asked nervously, shrinking back a bit.

"You…are…_DEAD_!" At the last word, Jimmy started swimming away at a breakneck pace, hoping to avoid her wrath and survive. Unfortunately for him, Misty was a really fast swimmer and eventually caught up to him, attempting to strangle him.

"Um…" They stopped what they were doing; Jimmy trapped in a headlock, and looked up to see May standing at the edge of the pool with a raised eyebrow, staring at them curiously.

Suddenly, May felt a hand at her push at her back, before she lost her balance and tipped over into the pool. When she resurfaced, she was coughing and spitting out water, before taking in huge breaths of air after the time she'd lost it. While still panting, she whipped around to glare at Drew, who was now squatting down to her eye level. She pulled him down by his arm and he fell into the water as well, before she climbed out of the pool. Drew came back up quickly, and only spit out some water; he wasn't coughing or anything because he half expected to be pulled in. She couldn't help but laugh a bit as she looked at Drew's annoyed expression. Sitting on the edge and dipping her feet in the water, she smiled and stuck her tongue out at him. He just smirked at her, making her wonder why he was. In the blink of an eye, he pulled her feet down so that she slipped into the pool with him. Unexpectedly though, she wrapped her arms around his neck as she fell so that she wouldn't fall underneath the surface, so she ended up pressed against him.

"…Um…May…?" Drew began awkwardly, trying to fight back the blush threatening to form.

"Huh?" She stared at him questioningly.

"We're…kinda…" There was no use trying to fight back the blush anymore; his cheeks were dusted with a deep red now. He looked down in between them to try to hint it to her.

She looked down to realize how close they were, before immediately springing back as if she'd been burned. She felt her cheeks heating up and looked away. Jimmy, who'd slipped out of the headlock as everyone was watching May and Drew, popped up in between them and broke the obvious tension he'd been oblivious to. "Hey, guys, do you think we should leave now? I mean, we've been here for about two hours already."

"Uh…yeah…" Drew replied.

"Ditto," May agreed.

He turned to Ash, Misty, Leaf and Gary. "What do you guys think?"

"I think we should go," Ash said.

Misty, Leaf and Gary nodded.

"Okay, then we all agree; I've already asked the guys sitting down there." He said, jabbing his finger backwards where Marina, Paul and Dawn were.

May, Drew, Misty, Ash, Leaf, Gary and Jimmy got out of the pool and headed to their respective bathrooms/changing rooms; the girls wrapping themselves in a towel while the boys dried themselves a bit quickly; Marina, Paul and Dawn (who'd been woken up by Paul) going into the changing rooms/bathrooms as well. Everyone took a quick shower and met at the entrance; the boys having finished first since girls tend to take longer. "So, where are we going now?" Dawn asked.

"Well, I'm kinda hungry…" Ash admitted sheepishly.

May nodded. "Yeah, me too…"

"You guys are always hungry," Drew pointed out.

"Well, still…" Ash said lamely.

May nodded. "How about we go to the pizza shop near here?"

"Sounds like a plan," Gary agreed.

**~At the Pizza Shop (AN; Sorry couldn't think of a name) ~**

**May's POV**

"Okay, so what toppings do you guys want?" Marina asked, looking around the table and holding a small notepad in hand along with a pencil.

"Cheese," Misty said.

"Um…well…pepperoni! No, sausage! Nah, I want olives! Never mind I think I'll have vegetables!" Ash just couldn't seem to make up his mind, could he?

"Um, let's just say Ash wants pepperoni," Marina suggested.

We all nodded. Marina then turned to Dawn.

"Cheese," She said.

"Sausage," This was Paul.

"Sausage," Gary.

"Cheese," Leaf.

Now it was my turn. I looked at all the choices and just couldn't decide. "Pepperoni. No, I mean sausage! Scratch that, I want olives…no, vegetables! I mean… cheese!" …Wow, I feel like such a hypocrite…

"…How about we just say cheese?" Marina suggested again.

I nodded, smiling sheepishly. Marina turned to Drew.

"Cheese," he said.

"Pepperoni," Jimmy.

"Okay, and I want cheese." Marina said, writing everything down before going up to the counter.

A few minutes later, she came back to our table and sat down in her seat. "Okay, we have to wait for like fifteen minutes before the pizza's done, so what do you guys want to do until then?"

Dawn's eyes became starry. "How about-"

"Don't even think about it, Troublesome." Paul interrupted her.

She huffed and pouted before crossing her arms over her chest, kind of reminding me of a little kid who didn't get a toy they wanted.

We all just sat there and talked for awhile, seeming not to have anything else to do.

Somewhere in our conversations, Misty and Ash ended up in one of their infamous arguments; getting in a separate one.

"Guys, guys," Dawn began, trying to play peacemaker.

"Stop trying to stop them, Troublesome, it's only going to make things worse." I think it's pretty obvious who said that. But anyways, that's how Dawn and Paul ended up in an argument, too.

I saw Leaf and Gary arguing out of the corner of my eye and wondered how long they'd been doing that.

I turned towards Drew. "Wow, we're the only ones not in an argument besides Jimmy and Marina," I commented, "But then again, they're a couple…"

"Yeah, how did you ever find that out?" He asked sarcastically.

And that's how Drew and I got into an argument as well. Out of the corner of my eye, I almost missed Marina and Jimmy sighing and sweatdropping at the scene we were all making, but I was so caught up in my own argument that I just brushed it off.

Although, all of our arguments were stopped when the manager came to our table. "Excuse me, but could you kids please keep it down?" He asked us in a business like tone.

We all shrunk back a bit (Except for Paul of course) and nodded, a bit intimidated by the gruffness laced in his voice. He nodded and walked away to…uh…where do managers of a pizza shop go? We were left in an awkward silence, until Marina broke it after glancing at her watch. "Guys, the pizza should be ready!" She exclaimed before walking towards the counter, Jimmy beside her to help her carry the pizzas.

They came back about a minute later; Jimmy stumbling a bit with the weight of the pizza (we'd gotten large ones and we had five boxes; considering how much Ash and I eat) and causing us to have trouble stifling our laughter (Once again, except for Paul). Marina helped him set it in the middle of the table before we opened the boxes and began eating.

"Ash, stop eating so fast! You're like a big pig!" Misty scolded.

He looked up and talked with his mouth full of pizza, making the words incoherent.

"Don't talk with your mouth full!"

He continued eating the way he was (although I was probably doing the same) but I couldn't help but smile at the cuteness of the 'not-quite-a-couple (_yet_)'.

"You know, you should be taking Misty's advice," Drew taunted.

I frowned at him. "Well even if I do, it'd be taking your advice to take her advice so I'd technically be doing what you said…wait, uh…I'm confused now…" I held my head a little as if for emphasis.

He shrugged. "If it's too much for your tiny brain-if you have one at all-then just forget about it." He flicked his hair. Okay, if I had a nickel for every time he did that, I'd be a so rich right now.

"Drew, why do you even do that?" I asked, a hint of frustration in my voice.

"Do what?" Said boy flicked his hair _again_.

"_That_!"

"Guys," I heard a voice in the backround.

"_Oh_, _this_?" He did it again.

"_Guys_," I heard the voice again, but continued ignoring it.

"Yes, that!"

"_**Guys**_!"

Drew and I turned simultaneously. "_What_?"

The person that had been trying to get our attention, Dawn, flushed. "We're leaving," She replied.

"Oh,"

We stood up from our seats and followed everybody else outside.

"What do we do now?" Ash asked as we wandered around the area mindlessly.

"Anyone up for some basketball?" Gary suggested.

"No way!" Leaf protested. "You guys may play that, but us girls are here too you know,"

"Fine, fine…" He muttered.

"Can we eat some more?" (Who do you think that was? And _no _it was _not _me!)

"Ash, we just ate!" Misty smacked her forehead.

"But I'm still hungry!" He whined.

"Well, we all knew Misty wouldn't take very good care of my Ashy-poo, didn't we?" A voice behind us sneered. We turned around to see Melody. "I mean, she's not even letting him have some food, when poor Ashy-poo here is obviously hungry,"

Misty glared at her. "For your information, we already ate,"

"But how do you know my Ashy-poo had enough?" She countered.

"Yeah, how do you know?" Came another voice; Brianna. That was when I realized that Melody's group of friends were here too. We'd been enemies since…um…I can't really remember…maybe it's forever? We were even enemies as four year olds…

_Flashback_

"_Hi, Drew! Can you push me? Pweez?" I asked him as I saw him coming into the park._

_He put his hands on my back and gave me some pushes, although I felt like I wasn't going high enough._

"_Drew, I wanna go higher!"_

"_If you wanna go higher than try to lose some weight, will ya?"_

_I turned in my seat to glare at him, but lost my balance on the moving swing and fell off, onto him._

"_Ugh!" I heard him groan from under me. "May, can you get off me?"_

"_Oh, whoopsy daisies!" I scrambled off of him._

"_May, don't be so clumsy and hurt Mr. Drew!" Brianna, whom I realized had come, was glaring at me with her hands on her hips._

_End Flashback_

Yup, we weren't exactly on good terms with them. The people in their group were Melody (The one crushing on Ash), Brianna (The one crushing on Drew), Vincent (The one crushing on Marina), Brendan (I'm not sure who he's crushing on), Zoey (The one crushing on Paul), Kenny (The one crushing on Dawn), Rudy (The one crushing on Misty), and a few others; Tom, Miranda and Calista **(AN: My OCs' since I couldn't find anyone else) **that were crushing on Leaf, Gary and Jimmy in that order.

Brianna clung to Drew as if her life depended on it, making my blood boil. I could tell Brianna had a _huge _crush on him, but he didn't like her back…did he? And why should I care if he likes her?

_**Because you like him,**_

_Huh? What? Am I hearing things?_

_**Nope, have you ever heard of an inner voice?**_

_Well, yeah, they're supposed to be annoying but say things that are true about how you feel. But what's that got to do with anything?_

_***Twitch at the 'annoying' comment* **__**I'm **__**your inner voice; your conscience.**_

_Oh…haha… forget about what I said with the whole 'they're supposed to be annoying' thing,_

_**Yeah, whatever, but like I said, you care about if he likes Brianna because you like him,**_

_What? No I don't!_

_**Yes you do,**_

_No I don't!_

_**Yes you do!**_

_No I-_

"May! Snap out of it!"

I blinked and saw Leaf looking at me with worried eyes. "Are you ok? You seem to be a little out of it lately,"

I nodded at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, Leaf,"

_We'll talk about this later…um…what's your name?_

…_**I don't have a name; I'm just your conscience. But yeah, we'll talk later.**_

"It looks like May's finally losing her mind. Well, if she ever had one anyways," Brianna snickered.

I glared at her. I wasn't the type of person to hate anyone (except Drew), but her? Well let's just say despise wouldn't even express _half _of my hate for her.

"You're one to be talking, Brianna," Misty defended me.

I smiled at her. You can always count on Misty to back you up if you're a friend being insulted.

"Oh, and _you're _not, Misty?" Melody countered.

"She's not," Ash stated.

Melody gaped at him in shock. "Ashy-poo, _why _are you helping _her_?" She asked him in a sickeningly sweet tone.

"Because she's my friend and I care about her," He answered firmly. Aw, Ash can be so sweet, especially when it comes to Misty!

She fumed before turning around. "Come on guys, we're wasting our time here," She said before stalking away, the group trailing behind her, probably not wanting to object, seeing how angry she was.

When she was out of sight, we all sighed in relief. "When will they give up?" I complained. "People in that group have been crushing on people in this group since….forever!" I exclaimed, dramatically spreading my hands.

"True," Leaf agreed thoughtfully. Someone's crushing on each of us; Melody for Ash, Rudy for Misty, Brianna for Drew, Brendan for you-"

"Wait, _Brendan's _crushing on _me_?" I asked in disbelief, shock probably written all over my face.

"Yeah, May, are you really _that _oblivious that you don't notice the looks he sends you?"

I shook my head.

"Ok, well, anyways, Kenny for Dawn, Zoey for Paul, Vincent for Marina, Miranda for Jimmy, _Calista_," She spat Calista's name; "for Gary," Ok, is it just me or does she seem mad at that? "And I'm not sure about this, but Tom seems to have a crush on me,"

"You're right," Gary confirmed; although I heard a bit of irritation in his voice.

"So, what do you guys want to do now?" I asked, trying to change the subject; everyone seemed upset to be hearing this stuff.

"Oh! Can we go over to Drew's house to watch a movie?" Dawn asked. We all knew why she wanted to go to Drew's house specifically; he was rich and had a movie theater in there; with a popcorn machine to boot and just about every movie you could ever want to watch. And it was even better than the theater, since, there wasn't anyone else in there to shush you if you get overexcited; it was more private.

Drew shrugged. "Sure, why not?" And once again, he flicked his hair. I really have to find a way to make him stop doing that…

**At Drew's House**

Drew's servant led them to the movie theater before they all sat down in front of the huge screen. Drew took a seat to my left; the only seat left in that row. The order from left to right was Drew, me, Ash, Misty, Dawn, Paul, Jimmy, Marina, Leaf and then Gary; at the last seat at the right end of the row. The movie, Roses are Red (a romance movie), **(AN: I made it up) **began.

After some time, it had gotten to where I think was about the middle of the movie. The protagonist, Melissa, found out that the guy she loved, Kevin, had only gone out with her because of a bet. Sad music played in the backround before she gave him a hard slap that resonated in the room as tears feel from her eyes and she dashed out of the room, leaving him standing in his place, stunned. Wow, talk about dramatic! She was even going slow motion when she was running out of the room!

I couldn't help but cry a bit as I watched this scene; and I'm pretty sure the other girls did too; especially Dawn; she's really emotional when it comes to this stuff. But I guess Drew noticed because he put his hand on mine for comfort. Sometimes, I think that maybe he isn't such a bad guy after all…

**Ok so the next chapter will be for the 4****th**** of July! I don't think it's gonna be done today though, but I'll try my best! Review and it'll probably be up quicker! Constructive criticism is appreciated (meaning it'd be nice to tell me what I can improve on)!**


	3. 4th of July

**Thanks for the reviews! Sorry, this isn't really quick, is it? But thanks for the reviews! Like I said, sorry I updated later than I intended! This chapter is probably mostly Pokeshipping, but it'll also have Contestshipping at the end! Oh, yeah, I've gotta give some credit to ****metrokarateacademyrocks ****for an idea in this chapter I used from her story Death Wish! Cookies to anyone that can guess what it is! Oh, yeah, there's going to be a lot of changing with the POVs' in this chapter, so it might be confusing…**

**Pokemon Fanfiction:**** Thank you! Yup, I am now!**

**Baby RuRu: ****Yup! That's what I wanted! Haha lol; I was kinda thinking that when I wrote it too! :)**

**thebeats:** **Aw, thanks so much! I always wanted to make a story that someone would like as much as some that I've read here on FF! **

**ice-beam147: ****Thanks! And yeah, it is where I live too!**

**Psycho Apple Maniac: ****Aw thanks!**

**Okay I think that was it; if I missed you on here, I'm sorry but thanks for reviewing! But anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed!**

**Ok, I don't own Pokemon got that? Yeah I keep remembering! Lol:)**

**Chapter Three**

**4****th**** of July**

**May's POV**

"Aaaahhhhhhhh!" Dawn's scream echoed throughout the enormous house (more like mansion).

_Probably another bad hair day…_

Ok, so you may be wondering why we're in a mansion and all that stuff. Well, for the 4th of July, we're going to be watching the fireworks from Drew's backyard (which is more like a field if you ask me) so we're all sleeping over at his house, since he has just about _everything_ here and we could easily keep ourselves busy.

As I lay in bed I realized that I couldn't go back to sleep; _why _Dawn? _Why _did you have to wake me up? I sat up and stretched a bit before slipping out of bed.

**Dawn's POV**

"Aaaahhhhhhhh!" OMG, why me? My reflection stared back at me from the mirror. My hair was a _mess_! Talk about a bad hair day! My hair's all frizzy; and how am I supposed to get rid of these tangles? It's going to take _forever_!

I sighed. Might as well get started then…

**~At Breakfast~**

**Ash's POV**

"Yummy!" Chocolate chip pancakes!" I exclaimed enthusiastically as I stared at the large pile in front of me.

Grabbing the syrup from the middle of the table, I poured it all over the pancakes.

Misty stared at me. "Um…Ash…?"

I looked at her. "Huh?"

"Don't you think that's a bit…much?"

I glanced at my pancakes, which were soaked by the syrup. "Nope," I answered, putting the syrup back in the middle of the table to have May grab it. You know, sometimes, I wonder why Misty never scolds at May like she does with me; I mean, she eats like I do! That's exactly what I asked her, but she just blushed before looking away and stuttering, "B-because…I…I just do, ok?"

I stared at her confusedly. "Um…ok?" Is there something I'm not getting here?

I finished up my fifth…? plate I think… (a new record!) I lost count after the third one…and put it into the sink.

Drew, Paul, Jimmy, and Gary were already in the arcade, so that's where I headed to.

**~With the Girls~**

**May's POV**

I was the last to finish my breakfast, and according to Misty; she, Dawn, Leaf and Marina should be at the pool. But when I'd gotten there, the only one in sight was Misty. I started walking towards her to ask where everyone else was, but I was pulled to the side by Dawn, Leaf and Marina. "What are you guys doing?" I asked when we were behind a wall.

"Look, I think it's obvious that if we don't do something, Ash and Misty are never going to get together," Dawn stated.

I nodded in agreement. "So…?" I urged her on.

"So, the girls and I," she pointed to herself. "Are going to give them the push, or push_es_, they need. Are you in?"

"Definitely! It's about time they get together; I mean, Ash is oblivious to the fact that Misty likes him; I doubt he even knows about his own feelings for her; and Misty's just too stubborn and proud to admit she likes him!"

Dawn laughed lightly (and quietly so that Misty won't hear). "Yeah, I know, right?"

"So what are we going to do?"

"Well, first of all, we're trying to use jealousy first; you know how jealous Misty can get when it comes to Ash, right?"

"Well, yeah,"

She whispered the rest into my ear, and I could feel a grin coming onto my features; this plan was _bound _to work!

We peeked behind the wall one more time to make sure Misty wasn't looking, before tip-toeing to the arcade to find Ash.

**~At the Arcade~**

"Noooooooo!" We heard Ash yelling from inside.

We stepped inside to see Ash's face pressed against the screen of a game. "This can't be!" Came the muffled voice.

"What can't be?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, confused.

He jumped a little, his face getting more pressed unto the screen…poor Ash…before he turned around with a slightly red face from having it pressed against and bumped onto the screen. :"I lost at the 27th level!" He wailed.

We all fell anime style. "That's it?"

"What do you mean that's it? That's a big thing to me, ok? It took me forever to get there!"

"Yeah, yeah, but we need you for just a sec, ok?" Leaf dismissed before ushering him out of the arcade.

"So what did you guys need me for?" He asked cautiously (ha, Ash cautious…), a bit intimidated as we stopped walking and forced him against the wall.

Leaf pulled out a piece of chocolate cake (Don't ask me where she got it from! How am I supposed to know?) and held it in front of Ash, who drooled as he just stared at it, his head following the cake's movements as Leaf moved it around up, down, left and right, practically torturing him. She grinned.

I sighed and snatched the cake out of her hands. "Focus, Leaf,"

"Oh, right," She said sheepishly.

I saw Ash's head moving and realized I'd been moving my hands self consciously while I was talking. So I tried moving it around some more; like Leaf had and could feel myself grinning like she had. Wow, this _was_ fun!

"Focus, May," Leaf mimicked (I could hear some mocking in her voice).

"Hehe…my bad…"

I turned around to face Ash again and continued with the plan.

"So, Ash, do you want this cake?"

He nodded as if he was in a trance.

"Well, we need you to do a little something for us first,"

"Anything," He said in a robotic voice.

"Well, will you go out on a date with Melody?" I nodded at the girls, signaling for them to start recording.

He nodded.

"Say it aloud,"

"Yes, I'll go on a date with Melody,"

I smirked. "Good, then," I passed the cake to him, which he devoured hungrily.

"Okay, don't forget about your date with Melody!"

He stared at me as if I'd grown two heads. "What? Why would I go on a date with _Melody_?"

I nodded my head towards Marina, who'd been the one to record it. She held the tape recorder in her hand and replayed everything he'd said.

"**Well, will you go out on a date with Melody?" **

There was a silence, probably when he nodded.

"**Say it aloud,"**

"**Yes, I'll go on a date with Melody,"**

He flushed and looked down. "I wasn't thinking clearly," He mumbled.

"But a deal's a deal," I stated, almost in a sing-song voice.

He sighed. "Fine," He said in a defeated voice. "The things I do for chocolate cake," He muttered as an afterthought.

"Oh, crap!" I heard a voice behind me and whipped around to see Dawn staring wide-eyed at her cell phone. "We've been gone for nearly thirty minutes! Misty's going to kill us!"

We raced back to the swimming pool, with Ash just standing there dazed at us taking off so quickly.

**~At the Swimming Pool~**

When we got back to the swimming pool, we found Misty standing there impatiently tapping her foot on the cement with a towel wrapped around her body. As soon as she saw us, she exploded. "Where have you guys been?"

I racked my brain for an excuse. "Um…" I began, unsure of what to say next. Luckily, Marina came to my rescue.

"May came here and couldn't find a swimsuit to wear…so we had to go to her house to find one,"

I nodded my head vigorously.

But Misty still seemed suspicious. "So where is it?"

"W-well…" I paused for a moment. "I didn't have one at home,"

"Okay…" Misty said unsurely, giving up on trying to press it any further.

"Are you done swimming?" I asked, glancing at her towel.

She nodded. "Yeah, how about we go inside, since 'you don't have a swimming suit'?" She'd said the last part slyly; yeah she must still have suspicions.

I nodded anyway; I wasn't really in much of a mood to swim.

We went to the arcade to see what the boys were doing, Misty yelling, "Hey, guys!" as we walked in.

They turned and looked at us, acknowledging us in their own way; except for Ash; Drew smirking, Paul nodding, Gary making the peace sign, and Jimmy waving, but Ash just looked away uncomfortably, not making eye contact with anyone, especially not Misty, who noticed.

"Is something wrong, Ash?" She asked, not bothering to mask the concern in her voice.

He shook his head quickly, still not facing her. I started to get nervous; Ash probably was acting this way because he had to date Melody, but if he told Misty…I shuddered internally. So I quickly stepped in.

"Um, Ash, we need you for something…real quick, okay?"

He nodded slowly, probably wondering if we were going to make this worse.

I took him into the halls again with Dawn, Leaf and Marina. "Ash," I began. "Don't tell Misty about what we're making you do and don't tell her that we're the ones making you do this, okay?"

Leaf nodded. "Yeah, and…" She paused. "If you can do that, we'll add in a bonus; a yummy brownie!"

She pulled out a brownie (once again, I don't know from where) and held it in front of him for him to see. I could see drool forming at the corner of his lips. "So, can you keep it a secret between us?" She asked.

He nodded.

"Ok, then!" She gave him a pat on the head and threw it into the air, which he caught in his mouth. Okay, he's _really _reminding me of a dog…

We headed back to the arcade to see everyone playing some kind of game, so we decided to join in as well; Ash went to somewhere more private, and according to him, was going to call Melody and ask her out.

**Ash's POV**

I walked out of the room and down the hallway slowly, before leaning against the wall and dialing Melody's number. My hands trembled a bit as I did so; I really didn't want to go on a date with her. The truth was, I kind of felt like I was betraying Misty…strange, huh? We're not even in a relationship…but why did they even want me on a date with _Melody _of all people? They hate her; and not to mention, they always think me and Misty should get together.

**"Hello?" **Came Melody's voice from the other line.

"Oh, hey, Melody,"

"**Ash?" **I could hear excitement filling her voice.

"Um…yeah…"

"**Hi! How are you Ashy-poo?"**

I sweatdropped at the nickname. "I'm fine…I guess…"

_Not really…_

"**So, is there a reason you called me or do you just want to talk?"**

"Actually, there's a reason…"

"**Oh?" **I could hear a little disappointment.

"Yeah…will you go out on a date with me?"

"**Of course I will!"** Any trace of disappointment disappeared. **"Oh, just wait for a second, ok?" **I could hear a faint, high pitched squeal on the other end before she came back on the phone. **"Thanks for waiting; so when will it be?"**

"Well… how about I pick you up at seven?"

"**Sure! Where are we going?"**

"Um…" I tried to think of the most unromantic place I could; maybe one where I could even just take a friend so that the date wouldn't even seem like one. "How about the movie theater?" Well, I'd just watch a movie and then it'd be over; I don't have to date her again.

"**Sure! Bye for now!"**

"Yeah…bye…"

I hung up the phone and sighed before walking back to the arcade.

**Misty's POV**

I was feeling depressed, gloomy, upset, you get it. I'd heard Ash talking on the phone…_asking a girl out_!

_Flashback_

_I was deep in thought about why Ash had been acting the way he was, when May spoke up._

"_Hey, Misty, can you get me a drink?" May asked, walking over and sweating after playing a dancing game._

"_Why can't you get it yourself?" I asked, irritated in being interrupted from my thoughts._

"_Oh, come on, please Misty? I'm thirsty and I'm too tired to walk all the way across the mansion to get to the kitchen!"_

_I sighed and gave in, knowing she wasn't going to stop asking until I did. "Fine," I said. "But you owe me," I added._

_She grinned. "But it's going to be worth it," _

_I raised an eyebrow. Wow, did she really want a drink that bad?_

_I stepped out and headed to the left hallway, when May stopped me._

"_Nonononono," She said, pushing me towards the other hallway._

"_Why can't I just take this one?"_

"_Because…that one's…um…faster!"_

_I just shook my head at her and walked in the direction she'd wanted me to, not bothering to ask. Why was everyone acting so weird today?_

"_Yeah…will you go out on a date with me?" I stopped in my tracks after hearing Ash's voice. What? He was asking someone on a date? My heart seemed to fall into the pit of my stomach. After a minute of silence, he continued talking again._

"_Well… how about I pick up at seven?"_

_There was a second of silence._

"_Um…" _

_He paused for awhile._

"_How about the movie theater?" _

_I knew this conversation was going to end soon, so started walking back to the arcade._

_End Flashback_

"Misty?" I turned around to see May.

"Huh?"

"Where's my drink?"

I blushed in embarrassment. "Oh…I forgot…"

"Oh. Ok then," I quirked an eyebrow; she seemed like she'd expected it…

Ash came in just now, seeming to be avoiding me even more than before! Ugh! I'm feeling so confused!

**May's POV**

I smiled a little as I walked away from Misty; mission accomplished. Everything's going according to plan.

_Flashback_

_As Misty walked in Ash's direction, I followed close behind. I saw her steps halt before she listened intently on his conversation. I saw her gasp quietly in disbelief; and you could almost feel the sadness emitting from her; making me guilty. _It's the most effective way to get them together; you're doing this for them,_ I assured myself. After awhile, she turned around, and I quickly ducked behind a corner before she could see me. I watched her retreating back before letting out a sigh of relief. I knew I shouldn't be heading back then, since it would seem strange for me to be back a second after her. Luckily, I'd told everyone (except the girls of course since they know where I was really goiing) that I was going to the bathroom, so it wouldn't be too suspicious. I waited for a about a minute or so before heading back._

_End Flashback_

I made my way towards Dawn, Leaf and Marina to tell them what'd happened and how it's turned out so far.

"So? What happened? I want all the details!" Leaf said really quickly, making me wonder if she was on a sugar rush again or something…

When I finished, they all looked a bit guilty. "Poor Misty…" Dawn looked down at the floor.

"Yeah, but it's the fastest way to get them together, Dawn," Marina said.

Leaf nodded. "But…I still feel bad for doing this…"

"Same here," I admitted. "Don't forget we're doing it for them, though, and it'd all be worth it,"

"Guys, it's lunchtime!" Jimmy called from across the room.

"Ok!" We called in unison.

On our way to lunch, we got surrounded Misty and all tried to cheer her up, but she still seemed depressed and not much in the mood to talk, so we pretty much just gave her some space after that.

**Misty's POV**

I felt bad for neglecting my friends, but I felt so angry, upset, and… (although I hate to admit it) jealous. Truthfully, this time I was more jealous than I'd ever been; those other times, Ash hadn't shown any signs that he actually liked someone, but this time, he's asking _Melody_ on a _date_! I clenched my fists tightly, causing my knuckles to turn white. I'd get over Ash eventually, right? Ash just doesn't seem to be interested in me…but I'd get over him eventually, right?

**May's POV**

We'd finally made it to the dining room, and I glanced at Misty again. She still seemed deep in thought like all those other time's I'd glanced at her on the way here. Everyone was acting a bit strange today…I mean, me, Dawn, Leaf and Marina were because of the plan, Ash was because of how…well, I'm guessing anxious or nervous, he is, Misty because of what she'd overheard. I then realized I hadn't really paid much attention to the way the others were acting today, but, Gary seemed a bit…off…today…Drew seemed a bit crestfallen, and Paul seemed more antisocial and emotionless than usual (if that's possible). Jimmy seemed to be the only one that wasn't acting stranger than usual today. I don't know if I was imagining all this, but it seems like it…I guess I'll just have to wait to see what's going to happen.

**~Nighttime~**

We finished up our dinner; me finishing it in record time to see the fireworks. Drew was finished second, after me (Ash doesn't seem to have much of an appetite), so I dragged him out too. We sat in the middle of the large backyard/field, when I noticed he wasn't saying anything. Strange; he'd usually be teasing me by now about how I'm overexcited. Maybe there's something wrong with him today… to test out my theory, I got up and purposely tripped, waiting for him to call me a klutz, but it never came. Ok, now _that _got me worried. "Drew, are you ok?" I asked, concern flooding my voice.

He turned to me with a questioning gaze. "Yeah…why wouldn't I be?"

I shrugged. "Well…you just seem a little…" I chose my words carefully, trying not to get him upset. "Well…quiet,"

"I'm just thinking," He replied, and he may be a good liar, but I could see right through him.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" I asked, putting my hand on his forehead.

"I'm fine," He snapped sharply.

I flinched at his tone, and his look softened. "Sorry," He muttered.

"It's fine," I said. "So care to tell me what's got you all agitated?"

He stared at the grassy ground, seeming to debate whether or not to tell me.

"It's fine if you don't want to," I added hurriedly, waving my hands in front of my face. I could tell it was something that was serious.

He sighed and turned back to look at me. "No, I'll tell you," His eyebrows furrowed and he laid his hands behind him, leaning on them. "Well, do you notice how you really don't see my parents home often?"

I nodded slowly, not getting where this was going.

"Well, that's because…well…when I was six, my mother had an accident…and…"

"I'm sorry," I whispered. I knew what he was probably going to say, and I didn't know what I'd do without my mom. I felt like a terrible friend (well I technically am one) though, because I hadn't known all these years, even though I'd noticed changes.

He sighed. "When she passed away, my father became a workaholic; he buried himself in work." He bit his lip, and it looked almost painful for him to keep talking.

"You don't have to keep going if you don't want to,"

He shook his head. "The 4th of July was one of my only happy memories I remembered with my family; we used to come out here and celebrate it; and every year I hope that my father would celebrate it with me again, but every year it's always the same; he goes to work."

I looked at Drew; the very composed, level-headed, conceited jerk I know seemed like he would break down, but was holding in his tears. "Drew, it's ok to cry,"

He shook his head.

Surprising both me and him, I embraced him into a tight hug. I felt some wetness in my shoulder; he was letting out quiet sobs. Seeing him like this; all vulnerable; made me wonder…was he always this way? Just masking his true feelings?

**Drew's POV**

I hadn't wanted to cry; considering it'd make me feel like a baby for a boy my age to do so. But as I let out all those tears I'd been holding back all those years, I couldn't help but feel lighter; as if a weight's been lifted off my shoulder. I didn't know why I'd decided to tell her all about this; but it felt good to finally let everything; my tears, feelings, thoughts. I'd always been hiding everything I'd felt ever since I'd lost my mother. As my sobs stopped, I broke the embrace and wiped my face. "Sorry," I muttered.

She smiled softly. "It's fine. I told you that you can cry, remember?"

I nodded. There was a comfortable silence in between us; and I'd felt as if for the first time since my mother passed away, that there was someone in the world that could understand me.

A loud boom broke the silence, as the sky was filled with colors. "Hey, guys, the fireworks started!" I heard Jimmy call from inside. I could hear feet rushing towards us, but to me, it was as if May was the only other person out here.

**Ok, so this chapter might be a little confusing, so I'm sorry if it is! If it is, you can tell me what confuses you in the review and I'll reply, promise! Oh, yeah, if this one had bad grammar or something, sorry, I was only able to reread it once… Ok, so in the following chapters, you'll find out why Gary and Paul are acting weird, along with more with Ash's date with Melody; but don't worry, this only has Contestshipping, Pokeshipping, Ikarishipping, Olrivalshipping and Questshipping! **


	4. Theme Park

**I'm sorry that I'm updating late…I've just gotten lazy…I'm sorry about mistakes, but I admit I was rushing a bit and I only checked it once… I'm really trying to finish before summer vacation's over, so this might be getting fast paced too. And yes, I know that this seems like a pretty pointless story, but they're gonna get together eventually! I don't own pokemon…**

_**Thank you to everyone who reviewed!**_

**Allista: ****lol; thanks! Haha yeah…yes…poor Misty…don't worry though;) oh and yeah, he really is!**

**xxicececatxx: ****Thank you!**

**Kaileychicago: ****Thanks! And yeah, I kinda feel bad for her too…**

**BabyRuRu: ****lol; yup! **

**PokemonFanfiction: ****Thank you! Sorry for not updating soon!**

**ice-beam 147: ****Thanks so much! **

**funstt: ****Thank you!**

**Ikarishipping4ever: ****Thanks!**

**rabbiya:**** Thank you, and I'm sorry I didn't update fast!**

**sapphire may jean: ****Thank you! Hmm…maybe…*taps chin***

***pants* WOW that was a lot! Anyways, so here's the story!**

**Chapter Four**

**Theme Park and Date**

**May's POV**

"I'm _so _bored!" Marina groaned beside me. I turned to see her head leaning against her right hand, her elbow on the armrest of the couch she was sitting on.

"Ditto," I mumbled in agreement, sinking further into my seat.

"But what can we do?" Leaf asked.

"Well, there's supposed to be a new theme park opening about an hour away," Dawn said.

We all stared at her.

"What?" She asked questioningly.

"We've been sitting here, bored out of our minds, and you'd known about the theme park all along when we could've gone there?" Leaf exploded.

"Well I told you now, didn't I?"

"But-"

"Guys, how about we just go?" Misty, who'd been fairly quiet lately, interrupted Leaf.

"Dawn, do you know how to get there?" I asked.

"No clue," She replied.

We all sweatdropped.

"But my dad does," She said. "He could take us."

"Well, then let's get going," I said, running-I mean, walking, towards the door. The truth was, I was hoping that we'd be too far away before anyone would remember to ask the boys to come with us, or, to be more specific, Drew. See, there was a reason for that…

_Flashback_

_The gentle breeze caressed my face and woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and observed my surroundings, but then felt something, or in this case, some_one_, stir beneath me. It was then I realized that I was on Drew! My head was resting on his chest, and his arms were wound around my waist. I hurriedly scrambled up and blushed scarlet. Glancing at him, our eyes met briefly, before he averted them to the ground. I could see the blush on his face deepen, and I'm pretty sure mine did too. We probably fell asleep some time during the fireworks, although I'm not exactly sure how we'd ended up in that position. We stood still and stared at each other, each unsure of what to do._

"_Oh, May, Drew, you guys are awake!" Dawn's cheery voice cut through the tension. "You two were so kawaii in that position you were in! We decided to leave you guys out here since we didn't want to wake you guys up and ruin it! She then held up a camera. "I even took a picture of it!"_

_Ok, now I'm pretty sure I was redder than a tomato._

_Breakfast was unusually quiet, with Misty and Ash withdrawn; they were always the main highlights of it; and with no arguments between Drew and me, due to the awkward moment from earlier. _

_End Flashback_

And that time we watched that movie…

_Flashback_

_We were at the end of the movie now, and as the two made up and leaned in, for some reason, I glanced at Drew, who was doing the same as well. I saw him leaning in, and found that I was unconsciously doing so too. Just as our lips were about to meet, the lights flicked on and everyone stared at us. We froze and turned bright red. I looked away as I realized what we were about to do. Talk about awkwardness…_

_End Flashback_

So, yeah, add those awkward moments and finding out about his more sensitive side, equals the single overused word: awkward.

"May, we still have to call the boys to ask if they want to go," Dawn called to me as I reached the door.

_So much for that…now I can just hope that the boys don't want to come._

I blushed in embarrassment. Walking back almost sulkily, I sunk into the couch and stared ahead of me uncomfortably. Marina, was on the phone (Being Jimmy's girlfriend, naturally, she'd be the one to call since the rest of them should be with him anyways).Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Misty fidgeting and realized I was doing that as well, although I failed to stop.

"Ok," Marina began, catching everyone's attention. "The boys are coming too,"

…_I really have to stop hoping for things; I never get my way when I do…_

"Oh, yeah, they're at Drew's house," She added as we got up and headed for the door.

Considering how Drew's house is right next to mine (it looks strange, though, since he has such a big house/mansion but the houses surrounding are average), it didn't take long to get there.

A few seconds after ringing the doorbell, Jimmy answered the door. "Hey," He greeted.

"Hey," Marina replied. "You guys ready?"

"Yeah," He answered. "Let's go, guys," He nodded his head at the rest of the boys.

We walked to Dawn's house; although attracting some attention because of the big group of girls _and _boys, but the people that have been in the neighborhood long enough were used to seeing us, and some of them even waved.

Eventually, we arrived at Dawn's house, seeing her dad leaning on his van in the distance. Each of us greeted him, and he would return each one, but his gaze lingered on Paul longer. I guess Dawn noticed as well, because her cheeks were tinted pink and she ushered her dad into the car.

Ok, so even if we were in a van, it wasn't exactly a big one, considering Dawn's family is actually pretty small…only her, her mom and her dad, which makes me wonder why they even have a van. But anyways, the point is, we were pretty crowded; I was sitting to the right of the car, so yay I got a window seat! Sitting next to me was Drew (not like I chose that) so was squished in between the car and Drew; not exactly comfortable.

After awhile of driving (maybe thirty to forty minutes?) we stopped at a fast food restaurant for lunch. As I stepped off the car, I rubbed my now numb arms. You might be wondering why they're numb. Well, one, I was pressed against the car the whole time, remember? I could feel the vibrations (I'm guessing from the motor) the whole time the car was driving. Two, well, this might sound weird, and from one of those romance novels you might read, but as soon as mine and Drew's hands touched, I felt an electricity course through me; strange, huh?

After eating though, we got back into the car and started driving again. When we arrived at the theme park, my arms were once again numb. The glaring sun rays were hot against my skin, so I had to put on some sun screen; in fact, everyone did, except Marina and Dawn, who have _very _sensitive skin, so there are very few skin products they use.

"Ok guys, so, how about we split up?" Dawn asked cheerily.

There were a few murmurs of agreement.

"Ok then, let's go in pairs," She suggested. "The groups can be May and Drew,"

_No! Not _Drew_!_

"Ash and Misty (wow, that's even more awkward than me and Drew…I feel sorry for them…), Marina and Jimmy (obvious), Leaf and Gary (poor Leaf's going to be in a tough situation) and me and Paul,"

"Oh, and my dad's with me and Paul" She added. I could almost swear that Paul's face paled a bit, but hey, it could be just me, I mean, _Paul _paling because of Dawn's dad? Yeah, sounds pretty crazy, doesn't it? But then again, her dad can be pretty intimidating and overprotective; I'm pretty sure that he can see Dawn's crush on him.

"So now that that's settled, let's go, Paul!" Dawn said, pulling Paul with her.

Her dad was left in her dust before hurrying after her.

The rest of us still here separated into our pairs and went in our own directions. Drew and I walked along silently, although I wasn't used to being with him so long without being teased by him.

"So…" I began, determined to break the silence, although unsure of what to say.

"So…what ride do you want to go on first?" He asked, cooperating with me. I guess he wanted to break it too.

I looked at the map we'd gotten when we'd entered the theme park and looked through all the rides.

"Um…uh…oh! How about the that one? I asked, pointing to one of those log rides in water on the map.

He nodded.

"Oh, come on, Drew, show more enthusiasm!" I laughed; all traces of my timidness gone, pulling his hand and running towards the ride.

_**With Ash and Misty**_

**Ash's POV**

Misty and I walked in awkward silence, and I knew why _I _was quiet, but I didn't know why _she _was. I suddenly saw a _huge _rollercoaster not too far away from where I was; with loops and was very winding, not to mention the speed it was going at.

I rushed there, just barely hearing Misty's faint voice calling my name. I stopped in front of it and got in line, Misty appearing a little later, panting and out of breath.

"Ash…why'd…you…run…off…like…that?" She asked my in between her breaths.

I pointed up. "I wanted to ride that," I answered.

"U-um, Ash, c-can we r-ride something e-else?" She asked unsteadily. I cocked my head to the side.

"Why?"

"B-be-because,"

"U-um…" She flushed before whispering in my ear, "I'm kind of afraid of roller coasters…"

Her breath tickled my ear, and it took me a moment to register what she'd said into my head. Wait, she's actually _afraid _of roller coasters? I'd never thought her the type to be afraid of _anything_, well, besides bugs, carrots and peppers, anyways. I'd always thought her headstrong and hard to get upset or hurt her feelings.

"Aw, come on, Mist, I'll be there with ya," I assured her.

"Well…" She pondered uncertainly. "I guess…"

I noticed that we were at the beginning of the line at this point and grinned as the roller coaster came back and stopped; it was our turn. "Great," I said, grabbing her hand and dragging her onto the roller coaster.

As the roller coaster started moving, I looked over to see how Misty was doing, to see her gripping the seats tightly and biting her lip in anticipation. "Mist, you ok?"

She nodded stiffly, and I was beginning to regret bringing her onto the roller coaster, seeing her like this.

I started to feel us moving up, and I saw Misty shaking a little. As soon as the roller coaster started dropping forward, Misty gripped me tightly, probably unconsciously, and squeezed the life out of me. The roller coaster accelerated, winding and doing loops, and the whole time, Misty was holding onto me and pressing herself against me, which I strangely liked…_please _don't tell me I'm turning into Gary…

When the ride ended, Misty's face was sheet white and she was still clinging to me, but she let out a sigh of relief. When she realized how close we were and how she was pressed against me, she immediately let go and sprang back. Her face held a blush, which made her skin look less pale.

"Um…let's go," She said, getting up and walking (more like fast-walking) away from the ride.

_**With Dawn and Paul**_

**Paul's POV (AN: I've never done Paul's POV before, so sorry if it's OOC!)**

"I'm going to the bathroom," Dawn (yes, I know her name I just like to call her Troublesome)'s father said, pointing toward the restrooms. "Stay here." What do we look like, five year olds?

"Oh, that stuffed animal looks _so_ cute!" Dawn squealed, pointing at a big Happiny stuffed animal that was one of those prizes in a game.

I sighed. I don't know why I did what I did next, but it was on impulse, I guess.

I walked over to the stand with the game, and asked how to play. Apparently, there were five circular glass counters spread around, and I'd win if a quarter landed on one. On my first try, the quarter bounced off it, on my second, it hit the edge, on the third, I missed it by a little, on my forth one, it bounced off the edge, on my fifth try, it slid off of it, and finally, on my sixth try, it landed and bounced a bit; just missing sliding off the edge.

A lady asked me which one I wanted, and I pointed to the Happiny. She eyed me quizzically, and I glared at her. Shrinking under my gaze, she handed it over in front of her face, looking away the whole time. I walked away, to where Dawn was standing, and shoved it close to her, feeling kind of embarrassed.

"Here, Troublesome," I muttered gruffly, looking away. See? This is why I call her Troublesome; she is!

Even though I'm looking away, I'm pretty sure she was smiling, and she probably even ignored my nickname. She took the stuffed animal tenderly, and the next thing I next, she'd engulfed me into a tight hug. "Oh, thank you, Paul!" I felt her give me a quick peck on my left cheek and a light blush appear on my face, although I don't know why.

_**With Gary and Leaf**_

**Leaf's POV**

"So, what do you want to do first, Leaf?" Gary asked, slinging his right arm around my shoulder.

I pulled it off and shrugged, which looked kind of strange considering the way I moved my hand then shoulders. "What do you want to do?"

"Well," He began, and I could already tell it was going to be something I didn't want to hear.

"Forget I said that,"

We started getting in line for a ride I saw; I don't know the name.

"Hey, babe," Came a voice from behind me. Gary and I whipped around to see a guy with spiky dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyes.

"She's my girl," Gary growled, placing a hand on my waist and pulling me closer to him. I blushed.

"Ok, fine, man," He said, turning away and flirting with some other girls.

Wow, a certain Gary's overprotective today…

_**With Marina and Jimmy**_

**Marina's POV**

Water shot out from a machine and into the hole of the target. The blue seahorse outran the red one and there was now a winner.

"Yeah!" Jimmy exclaimed enthusiastically, pumping his fists into the air.

I just smiled and shook my head at him.

He picked out a Pikachu stuffed animal and added it into the already huge pile I had in my arms. I started wobbling. "W-woah," Seriously, there's already a huge pile in my arms; I'm thinking Jimmy _might _just be going a bit overboard with this. "Jimmy, are you sure this isn't a little _too _many?"

He scratched his head sheepishly. "Well, now that you mention it…"

I laughed lightly.

_**Back with May and Drew**_

_****_**May's POV**

The sun's rays were intense. I wiped sweat from my forehead as Drew and I continued walking. He seemed just as hot as me; since he seemed to be slowing down too.

"Drew, let's go to the waterworks part," I found myself saying in an almost whining tone.

He nodded with no objections.

When we reached it, I saw the welcome sight of water slides, pools, etc; you know; all that stuff.

We separated into the changing rooms. I came out to find Drew standing nearby, at the entrance of the men's one. "So, which ride do you want to go on first?" I asked as I walked beside him.

"Which one do you want to go on first?" I'm still not used to 'nice Drew'; sometimes it makes me wonder if there was an alien invasion.

"May, Drew!" I heard Leaf's voice, and glanced around until I saw Leaf, Gary, Ash, Misty, Marina, Jimmy, Paul, Dawn and her dad walking towards us.

"Hey," I said, smiling at them.

She smiled back. "So, do you guys have any idea where we should go first?"

We shook her heads.

She gave us an understanding smile. "Yeah, same here with everyone else,"

"How about that?" Ash asked, pointing to an orange and blue funnel shaped ride, with water rushing back and forth inside it, a water slide many feet above it, and a pool below the funnel. People sat in large swimming tubes that had up to four people each. We stood in line and got into groups again, but since we ten can't be divided into four equally, it ended up with Marina, Jimmy, Dawn and Paul in one, Misty, Ash, Leaf and Gary in another, and Drew and I were the ones left to go on another.

I watched people falling from the funnel and into the pool below, before dragging the huge swimming tube to the next people in line. When it was our turn, a couple about our age took it to us, the guy winking at me, causing me to blush while Drew and the girl glared at him.

The swimming tube was _huge _though, about the same size as me, so Drew had to roll it up through the whole line, which was...well…let's just say big was an understatement. I'm positive there were over a hundred people in line. There were five staircases and some flat parts, plus the line to wait to get the swimming tube. So we must've waited for at least half an hour in line, until we were finally next!

I sighed in relief and heard Drew chuckle beside me, so I turned and glared at him. To tell the truth though, I have to admit I was half relieved that he was at least laughing at me again.

After Misty, Leaf, Ash and Gary had gone (they were the group in front of us) the lady turned to us and instructed us to lay the tube at the beginning of the water slide part. We did so, before she told us to sit down in one of the holes on the tube and grab the handles which were next to them. I gripped them tightly as we drifted down the curving slide. It wasn't exactly scary; it was kind of just drifting. But then, I felt the tube go down. I screamed all the way down and realized we must've been falling down the slide and onto the funnel. Finally, we landed onto the funnel, and were swishing back and forth due to the water. We then fell through the end of it, a sheet of water at the end washing over us. We landed into a pool, where we climbed off the swimming tube…raft…whatever it was…and dragged it to the next people in line.

As we walked to our friends, Drew bursted out laughing. OMG, he actually was _laughing_. Drew actually smiling was rare enough; but laughs from him are almost impossible to get.

"You should've seen your face back there!" He teased, making a face of mock fear.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

We found our friends standing nearby, at the end of the line for another ride. I saw Leaf blushing and Gary's eyes averted towards the ground, while everyone else was smirking. "What's going on?" I asked as we approached them.

"Well," Dawn began, still smirking, "We just found out about our little Leafy's date!" She squealed.

I felt my eyes widening before looking at Gary. "Yep, with Gary!" Dawn said, probably having followed my gaze.

"When did you guys start dating?" I asked in a teasing voice.

They both reddened even more. "N-no, he just a-asked me out to-today!" Leaf stuttered unevenly.

"When?"

"W-when we split into groups…" She answered in a small voice.

"Oh, speaking of dates, don't you have one tonight, Ash? Are you sure you'll be able to make it?"

"Pretty sure," He mumbled.

I could see Misty becoming quieter.

"It's 7 'o' clock tonight, right?" I asked extra loudly, making sure Misty could hear. I know I shouldn't be so obvious, but I had to make sure she knew what time Ash's date was. It's all part of the plan…

He looked at me weirdly. "Yeah…how'd you know?"

My eyes widened. _Oh, crap…_"I…um…you told me…?"

He nodded slowly. "Ok…I guess…"

**5 PM**

After one last ride, we wrapped ourselves with our towels and changed back into our normal clothes before heading back to the entrance and leaving. We had to leave early so that Ash could make it in time for his date with Melody (which I could tell _he_ even dreaded). We'd gotten back at around six, so he had about an hour left to prepare. As the car drove away from Ash's house and stopped at the intersecting streets, Leaf, Gary, Drew and I got off and started on our way home, watching the car drive away in the distance before starting the walk. I wanted to talk about Leaf about our plan; 'Get Ash and Misty Together' ('GAAMT') but with Drew and Gary here, I couldn't. So instead, I said, "Leaf, can you come over to my house when we get there?"

She shook her head. "Sorry, May, I have to clean my room, or else my mom will _kill _me!"

"Please, Leaf," I pleaded, giving her the 'you-better-come-or-else-look'.

"Why do you want me to go so bad?" She asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"Because,"

"Because what?"

"Just because," I could see my house to my left, and quickly grabbed the collar of Leaf's shirt, whipping the door open and hauling her in before she could get away.

"Oh no, I'm going to be dead," She wailed as I slammed the door shut and locked it.

"Leaf," I began.

"And it's going to be all your fault!"

"Leaf, it's going to be fine,"

"That's what you think! Let's see how _fine _everything is when I'm in a hospital room the next time you see me!"

This time, I didn't even get to say anything before she continued.

"You've just dug my gra-"

"Leaf!" I cut her off, gripping her shoulders to stop her hyperventilating.

"Look, you're only going to be over for a short time; I just wanted to talk about our whole plan with Ash and Misty,"

She seemed to start calming down. "Oh, ok then,"

After only talking for about five minutes, Leaf's I heard the doorbell ringing. When I opened the door, Leaf's mom, who (although wasn't very big) was very strong, barged into the house before grabbing Leaf's arm and pulling her away.

She mouthed a 'help me' with her mouth, but I couldn't do anything in this situation, so I just mouthed back 'sorry'. Her response was mouthing 'you're not invited to my funeral'. Poor Leaf…

**Misty's POV**

I checked the clock, which read 6:48. I'd already finished my dinner and taken a shower after getting home. Remembering that the date was at 7:00, I quietly slipped out the door before any of my sisters would notice. If you still haven't guessed, I'm going to spy on Ash's date. Ok, I admit, I like him (but I'm not admitting that aloud! I can barely admit it to myself, and I'd only started doing that for…maybe a year or two at most). I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel the same though…I can't exactly find a lot of hints from him that he likes me back.

**~At Ash's House~**

I leaned against the side of the house and waited, checking my watch occasionally. Finally, I saw a figure walking towards the house from the distance; whom I recognized as Melody. She and her group all also live in the neighborhood…unfortunately. I saw her ringing the doorbell before the door opened to reveal Ash standing there. I ducked down a bit more in case he saw me. Melody tried to link arms with him, making my blood boil, but luckily (for me), Ash resisted and they just walked down the street. I followed closely behind; close enough to still see them, but far enough so that they won't see me.

Eventually, they ended up at the Movie Theater, which was close to the ice cream shop and pizza shop we'd gone to before. I saw Melody pointing at a movie, which I recognized as a romance movie on closer inspection. I rolled my eyes. Ok, Melody's obviously trying to get a kiss or something from Ash. I paid for my ticket before following them inside to see them already with a bag of popcorn in hand and already heading towards the room with the movie. When I entered the dark room, the advertisements seemed just about over. I found a seat right behind Ash's and made myself comfortable.

After about an hour and a half later, the movie ended and everyone exited. I continued to follow Melody and Ash. During the movie, Melody had tried to share popcorn with Ash, so he'd given her the whole bag. She also tried to kiss him, just like I'd guessed she would. Nothing much had happened though, besides that. I saw them leaving the movie theater and followed.

Ash dropped off Melody at her house, which was near the entrance of the neighborhood. I knew I was just about home free when that happened, so I just relaxed and didn't worry about him catching me anymore. I thought I was going to make it home without him knowing I was following him; but unfortunately, that wasn't how it worked out.

When I saw Ash turning around, I hid behind a bush, although he didn't see me. I let out a sigh of relief. But then, I saw a bug scurrying in the bushes I was in. I just have this huge phobia of them, so naturally, I just did what I always do, without thinking. I screamed. Sad, isn't it? This time, he followed my scream and found me in the bushes. Ok, are. You. Kidding. Me? I almost get caught but I'm safe, and then I totally bust myself; because of a stupid bug!

"Misty…?" He asked with a puzzled expression.

"U-um…yeah…?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Well…I uh…I…" I stuttered, racking my brain for an excuse.

"You weren't…" He hesitated. "You weren't following me on my date…were you?"

I turned beet red. _Now _he's suddenly not dense. "N-no! What would make you think that?"

He shrugged a little, uncertainly. "Well, I just sorta felt like there was someone following me the whole time,"

"Ok! It was me!" I blurted out, turning even redder.

"But…why? Why would you do that?"

I looked away at the bushes, my feet, anything but him. "I…I was jealous, ok?"

"You…you were jealous?"

"Yes! How many times are you going to make me say it?" I snapped. It's hard enough just to admit it to him once, ok?

He looked down. "Well, actually, I really didn't want to go on the date with Melody…" He admitted, bewildering me. "I actually felt like I was betraying you," He mumbled embarrassedly. It was just barely audible, but I managed to catch it, and it made me feel really...well…happy. It's really hard to describe it. Somehow, the last part gave me enough courage to tell him what I've been afraid to for so long.

"I…I…" I inhaled a deep breath. "Ilikeyou," I said quickly, all in one breath.

"Um…could you repeat that…?"

I groaned. How many times does he need me to say things again? I sucked in my breath and gathered up my courage. "I like you," I repeated, this time slower and more clear. He looked dazed. I took that as my opportunity to leave, so I hurriedly stood up and ran back to my house.

By the time I got home, my heart was pounding against my chest with so much force I thought my chest would explode and my breaths were labored. I fumbled with my keys a bit before unlocking the door and stepping inside. I closed it and locked it again and ran up to my room, closing the door behind me and sliding down to the floor. My mind was in turmoil. Now Ash knew. What had I done? I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me back, considering he just went on a date with Melody, so it's just going to be so awkward between us! I closed my head and rested it against the door. But…wait, didn't he say he didn't _want _to go on a date with Melody? This was all too confusing…

**Ash's POV**

As Misty ran away, I wanted to chase after her, but I was glued to my spot. She liked me? That couldn't be, could it? I mean, she's always arguing with me and hitting me…these were all the thoughts that filled my head as I wandered aimlessly home. My mind was foggy; I barely even realized my mom was there when I got home. "Ash? Ash?" I snapped out of it…for now anyways. "I asked if you wanted something to eat a few times already and you didn't answer," She looked at me with concern.

"Huh, oh, sorry Mom," I said distantly. "No thanks,"

"…Are you sure you're feeling ok, sweetie?"

I nodded my head slowly and stated on my way up the stairs. When I got to my room, I closed the door and flopped onto my bed. I'm just so confused; I'm not sure how I feel…

**Ok, so here's the part where the reviewers decide what happens! Do you guys want this to be how Misty and Ash get together or do you guys want them to get together later? And…do you guys want May and Drew to get together in this story or in a sequel? Majority rules, so **_**please review**_**! **


	5. How to Get Rid of Awkwardness

**I'm so sorry I took so long to update! It's just that I'm getting lazy and all… (again).**

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_**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED AND ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS! :) THAT'S WHY THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO YOU GUYS!**_

**Chapter Five**

**How to Get Rid of Awkwardness**

**Misty's POV**

"Misty!" I heard a faint voice and a hand shaking my shoulder. "Misty!"

I opened my eyes to see Dawn standing beside my bed, with her hand on my shoulder. "Huh?"

"Oh, you're finally awake!" She chirped happily.

"Yeah, thanks to you,"

"Well, come on, get up!"

"Why?"

She looked at me weirdly. "Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?"

"Before summer vacation started, we'd all agreed that we'd go to the beach sometime!"

I started thinking back.

_Flashback_

_We were all (boys too) sitting at a table during lunch, except Dawn, until said girl came running up to us._

"_Guys!" She called._

"_Hey," Some of us (meaning except Paul) greeted._

"_Guys, check this out!" She said, thrusting a brochure onto the middle of the table._

_It showed a beautiful beach with sparkling, crystal clear water and soft, light colored sand._

"_Wow, it looks so beautiful," May commented._

"_Yeah, I know!" Dawn agreed. "So do you guys want to go there this summer? It's supposed to be only about two hours away, and my dad got a beach house nearby!"_

"_Definitely," I said. _

_End Flashback_

"Well, yeah, but you never told me that we were going _today_!"

She shrugged. "Well, now I did! And besides, I already got permission from all our families, so get out of bed!"

"Alright, alright!" I gave in; getting up from bed and walking towards the bathroom, hearing my bedroom door close.

But as I got ready for my shower, that was when the realization that Ash would be there too had hit me.

_Damn it…_

**May's POV**

I stood at the outside of Misty's room, behind her wall so she couldn't see me. As Dawn came out and closed the door, she winked and gave me a thumbs up.

"I still can't believe she finally confessed to Ash yesterday night!" She whispered (so that Misty couldn't hear) as we began walking away.

"Yeah, I know!" I replied. "I'm really hoping this beach trip will be enough time for Ash to realize that he likes her back and confess, too,"

So, how do we know what happened yesterday night? Well, let's just say that Dawn and I have been…well… _watching _Misty watching Ash on his date, and _listening _to what they were saying. And you could say I had _accidently _let go of the bug that'd caused her to scream. So I was _not _spying and eavesdropping and I did _not _purposely let a bug loose to get Misty to scream and bust herself, ok?

We went into the living room and joined Leaf and Marina, who had turned on the tv and were currently watching. The house was pretty empty, considering her sisters weren't home right now. Sometimes, I really wonder how Misty doesn't die of loneliness when we're not around. After about maybe twenty minutes later, Misty came down in jean shorts and a yellow tank top, sitting down on the couch Leaf and Dawn were sitting on.

"Hey guys," She greeted, leaning against the left side of the couch.

"Hey," Marina responded. "The guys should be here soon,"

She shrugged. "Weren't they going to have to wake up Ash, though? We all know what a heavy sleeper he can be,"

I giggled along with Dawn, Leaf and Marina.

The sound of the doorbell ringing echoed throughout the house.

"Oookaayyy…" Misty stretched out the word. "I guess Ash must've been easier to wake up today,"

We stood up and walked to the door. Marina opened it to see the boys; greeting each of them.

"You know, we thought it'd be better to separate into different cars this time," Jimmy said. "You know, since last time was a bit crowded,"

Marina nodded. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea,"

"So, how about six people with me in my dad's van this time? That would leave lots of room," Dawn suggested. "Oh, Paul, how about you ride with me?"

He shrugged. "I really don't care Troublesome," Yeah, right, we all can see the horror in his eyes with the whole idea of being in the same car as Dawn's dad for two hours.

Dawn scowled. "Whatever. Why do you have to be so difficult and cynical all the time?"

"Oh, Ash and Misty should go with you!" I said. A two hour ride with Ash and Misty in the same car would be good for them to maybe even get together (if we're lucky).

"Oh, and me too," I added, wanting to be there to help speed up the process a little.

"Oh, then Drew should go with us too," Dawn said, a mischievous glint I didn't like in her eyes.

"Um…ok then…?" Said boy tilted his head a little in confusion.

"Oh, my dad will be driving too," Jimmy stated.

"Oh, ok. Then of course, I'm going with you," Marina said.

"And me and Leaf are going with you guys too, since we're the last ones," Gary slung his arms over Leaf's shoulders.

Leaf sighed exasperatedly. "Gary, how many times do I have to tell you to keep your arms _off _of me?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Um…alot?"

"Exactly, so _keep them off_!" She shouted, shoving his arms off.

"Aww…are you guys officially girlfriend and boyfriend now?" I teased. "You two look just like a couple!"

They blushed. "No we don't!" They yelled in unison, getting up in my face.

"Ok, ok!" I held my hands up defensively.

**In the Van**

It wasn't crowded like it was last time, so I wasn't pressed against the window and Drew, although…well…to be honest, I missed the feeling of being so close to the latter…but there is no way I'd say that aloud; I have _some _pride left (yes, even with the arguments with him I'd lost even if that's most of them)!

Ash and Misty stayed as far apart as they could from each other as possible, which wasn't much since Dawn and I made it so that everyone else took all the other room so they'd still be in the same area. It was…awkward in here to say the least; Ash and Misty too busy avoiding each other, and Paul and Drew both not exactly talkative. Dawn's dad was driving, and not talkative either. Even if he wasn't too occupied in driving, he would be occasionally sneak glances at Paul from the rearview mirror. Besides the music, there wasn't really any noise at all. I guess it was up to me and Dawn to make the atmosphere a little more lively. After all, it's going to be a _really _long ride if we don't.

We waited for the next song to play, which turned out to be Fireflies by Owl City, and sang along.

"_You would not believe your eyes_

_If ten million fireflies_

_Lit up the world as I fell asleep"_

I heard Misty giggle. "Wow, really, guys?"

I grinned. "Yup, now why don't you join in?"

She shook her head. "Nah,"

"May, you couldn't sing if your life depended on it," Drew teased.

I glared at him, although inwardly I was smiling. Well, teasing equals no more awkward air at least.

**Two Hours Later**

"Are we there yet?" I asked in a whining tone.

"Not yet," Dawn's father replied.

"May, _why _would we be there now if we weren't there yet only a minute ago; the last time you asked?" Drew pointed out, irritated.

"We're here," Dawn's father interrupted.

I shot up from my seat, hitting the ceiling. "Ow!" I rubbed my head and took my seat again, looking at Drew. "Well, looks like _someone _was wrong," I teased in a sing-song tone.

He rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, didn't expect anything else," I said, looking out the window at the beach.

The van parked, and we all rushed to get out first. One way to put it: A lot of pushing and shoving happened.

I stepped out of the van and into the sunlight…the sweet, sweet sunlight… Hey, don't judge me! Being stuck in a van for so long without being able to move around can really make you appreciate being outside. I put my hands together above my head and stretched.

"Ugh! Finally! We are _finally _out of that hell hole!" I whipped around to see Leaf, looking pale, with Gary's arm around her waist to support her (although I'm pretty sure that's not the only reason why). I'd forgotten about Leaf's car sickness…

"Leaf, you ok?" I asked, concerned.

"Not really," She whimpered, before the contents of her breakfast was all over Gary's shoes.

"Lea-eaf!" Gary whined, staring down at his shoes and letting go of Leaf.

I rushed to said girl and put my arms around her shoulders, since she was struggling to keep her balance. Leaf glared at Gary, who didn't notice since he was still trying to get Leaf's throw up off his shoes.

"I'm gonna get the best room!" Misty shouted, dashing into the beach house.

"Hey, no way!" Dawn called after her, running into the house too.

Leaf and I didn't want to be stuck with the worst rooms, so we went after them too, although a bit shakily considering Leaf still was feeling a bit car sick and I was supporting her.

"Can you walk on your own now?" I asked Leaf as we got to the top of the stairs.

She nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine,"

"Ok then," I said, walking away to find a room.

Unfortunately, there were only five rooms, so we each had to share a room with one person. And if that wasn't bad enough, guess who I got stuck with?

**~Later~**

"Drew!" I shrieked.

"What?" He asked me, obviously knowing what I was yelling at him for.

"You're crossing the line!" I shouted, pointing to the line of red tape on the floor dividing the room. I think you can guess why we put it there.

"That's because I was going to the bathroom!" He defended.

I sweatdropped. "Oh. You know, maybe this wasn't the best way to divide the room considering you can't go to the bathroom and I can't get to the door and get out of here…"

**~With Misty and Ash~**

"Drew!" I heard May shriek.

"What?" Said boy asked, although I'm pretty sure he knew and was only asking to get May angrier. Seriously, why don't they just admit they like each other and kiss?

"You're crossing the line!" She yelled. Ok, I don't even want to know…I shook my head and finished unpacking.

But you know what? I'm sharing a room with _Ash _of all people! Really? I swear someone up there must hate me! He's here right now, and I can't help but feel self conscious…

So as I finished, as soon as I zipped up my suitcase, I fast-walked out of the room (although I think it was bordering on running).

…only to collide with May in the hallway. "Oof!" Was what I heard as we fell. I looked at her to see her rubbing her bottom.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

"Yeah," She answered, nodding her head. "But why were you in such a hurry?"

I turned red. "I-uh-um," I stuttered, trying to think of an excuse. Obviously, I couldn't tell her the truth. I mean, here's how it would go:

"_Well, I was trying to avoid Ash,"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I told him I liked him yesterday,"_

Yeah, right, _not _gonna happen. I'd be getting teased for that, and Ash probably doesn't even like me back, so there's really no point in that.

"You just what?" She asked me.

"Um…it'snothingI'vegottagonowbye **(AN: It's nothing gotta go now bye)**!" The words spilled out of my mouth so fast, I could barely register what I'd said. I ran before May could ask anymore, stopping at the kitchen to get a snack. Hey, I didn't get to eat breakfast this morning and it's already lunch time! I'm starving!

I dug through the refrigerator and cabinets. In the end I just made a sandwich out of…well…uh…sandwich bread and…ok I don't know what I put _in _it, but _anything_ sounded good to me right now!

I stuffed the sandwich into my mouth and devoured it quickly before grabbing another sandwich I made and doing the same.

"…And I thought _I _was supposed to be the one that eats a lot,"

I turned my head to come face to face with Ash. "Hey, I didn't get any breakfast!" I defended.

"But someone still forgot her manners; isn't that what you're always scolding _me _for?" He asked teasingly.

Hey, no more awkwardness! I felt relief sweep over me. Everything was back to the way it had been before Ash had found out I liked him; but why did I also feel a tinge of sadness, too?

**I'm sorry it was so short compared to my other chapters and probably wasn't worth the wait, but I just really wanted to get this up, and it was just more of a filler cause I'd planned this part of the story from the beginning and wanted to fit it in here somehow…but anyways, please review, and my question this time: If there's a sequel, then when should it be? Like should it be during school, winter break, etc; you know!**

Come on.

Everybody's looking for love. Oh. on.

Everybody's looking for love. Oh. on.

Everybody's looking for love. Oh. on.

Everybody's looking for love. Oh. Oh.


	6. First Day at the Beach: Dawn and Paul

**Ok, so I realized I was kinda neglecting Ikarishipping, since I was more focused on Pokeshipping and Comtestshipping, since they're my favorite Pokemon pairings. So this chapter focuses mainly on Dawn and Paul, even if it's in May's POV, and it's gonna be going really fast paced from here, since I want to finish by the end of summer, so please just bare with me!**

**ice-beam- ****Thank you! :D**

**Kaileychicago- ****Thanks for understanding! :)**

**Allista- ****Aw, that's sweet! Lol, yup!**

**Ikarishipping4ever- ****Thank you! And yeah, thanks for that idea; I'm using it this chapter!**

**Funstt- ****Thanks! :)**

_**I want to say thanks to everyone who reviewed and answered my question! :)**_

**First Day at the Beach: Dawn and Paul**

**May's POV**

I woke up on the floor the next morning – not the most comfortable way to wake up. Then again, it hadn't been the most comfortable way to have gone to sleep, either, yesterday night; my back felt sore. Ok, so you may be wondering, 'why was May sleeping on the floor?' Well, it's all thanks to Mr. 'I-don't-care-if-May-wants-to-sleep-on-the-bed'! You're still confused, aren't you? Ok. Me and Drew sharing a room. _One _bed. I think you're smart enough to figure it out.

As I headed to the bathroom, I caught myself mumbling a few times under my breath like, "That jerk," or "Grasshead's gonna get it,".

Just as I started heading out of the room after my morning routine, I heard yells coming from Dawn's room. Wonder what could be up? That's when I saw Drew walking into the room; I hadn't noticed that he wasn't in here.

"Hey, what's going on in Dawn's room?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I'm not really sure I want to know,"

I nodded. "Maybe it's not the best time to go in right now…" I admitted.

We headed out of the room and down the hall, passing Dawn's room on the way. I saw Dawn, who was bright red, and Paul, who was blushing crimson, in the same bed, and Dawn's dad, eyebrows scrunched together in anger, yelling, next to the bed.

Wow…this was a pretty…interesting…scene…

I shook my head. I guess I'll just have to ask about it later.

As we walked down the stairs, we met Misty coming up, looking like she'd just woken up, with bedhead and all.

"Uh…Misty?" I began, looking at her strangely.

"Huh?" She looked back at me.

"Why do you look like you were sleeping downstairs?"

"Because I was,"

"Why?"

"Oh, uh, I-" She blushed and looked away. "I…just wanted to…?" She said uncertainly.

"I…wanted to watch the um…football game last night…?" She added just as uncertainly.

I was confused. "Huh…? I don't remember a football game,"

"U-um…" She blushed and looked away again.

"Hey, guys!" Marina called, walking down the stairs with Jimmy. "Why are you guys standing in the middle of the staircase?"

"Oh, good point," Misty said, although for some reason – I don't know if I was imagining this – she seemed relieved. She rushed upstairs and towards her bedroom.

"Wow, _someone _seems jumpy today," I commented.

Drew shrugged. "We just seem to know the _weirdest _people," He muttered.

"Last one to the beach is a rotten egg!" Ash called to us, running out the door, towards the beach in his swimming trunks.

Everyone around me sweatdropped.

Ash wasn't looking in front of him, and was heading straight for a pole!

I shouted, trying to warn him, "Ash, watch where you're –"

"Ugh!" Was what I heard when he bumped into the pole.

"Going…" I finished, my words trailing off.

We all started running to the beach, passing Ash, although looking his way to make sure he was alright.

In the end, he walked over to the beach looking a little dejected. "Guess I'm the rotten egg," He mumbled.

I giggled. "Yeah, guess so," I agreed.

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Nope!" I answered. "Now let's just go swim!"

The thought of swimming seemed to brighten him up. I grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the water.

"Canon ball!" He yelled, jumping into the water and splashing the people around him – including me.

"Hey!" I yelled at him. I heard some other heys accompanying mine.

Ash smiled sheepishly. "Whoops…" He said in a small voice, scratching the back of his head. "Sorry, everyone,"

I didn't want the same thing happening to me, so I just waded into the water. Truthfully, I wasn't paying any attention to where I was going, because I was watching Dawn and Paul. Dawn was lying down and getting some tanning done, while Paul was next to her, with his eyes closed; I'm guessing he's fallen asleep; since I saw Dawn grinning slyly and starting to put sand on top of him, which I knew she wouldn't dare to do if he was awake. Since I wasn't looking, I'd bumped into someone on accident.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, turning around, only to be met with a pair of emerald eyes.

"You should watch where you're going next time, May," He said arrogantly, flipping his bangs. Seriously, why does he do that? I mean, it's not like it's a guy thing…

"Kids, it's time for lunch!" Jimmy's dad called (He drove Jimmy, Marina, Gary and Leaf here, remember?).

The thought of food: hamburgers, hotdogs, etc; made me drop what I was doing and immediately raced over to the beach house's porch, where a table was set up and filled with food. Within seconds, nearly a fourth of the food was already gone.

"Woah, May, slow down!" Ash said. "Wow, never thought _I'd _be the one to say that,"

"Fine," I grumbled, walking away from the food sulkily. I then noticed that Dawn wasn't around, so I asked, "Where's Dawn?"

"Oh, I thik I she's dill ad da beak wif Paul **(AN: Oh, I think** **she's still at the beach with Paul)**," Ash answered with his mouth full, waiting to get smacked on his head by Misty. But the smack never came. He turned to look at Misty curiously, who in turned stared at him too.

_I guess they can never be the same anymore… _I thought sadly.

I ran back to the beach, looking around in the crowd of people, until I found her, still building sand around Paul, who was now encased in sand everywhere but his head. I ran over to her and kneeled beside her. "Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Exactly what it looks like I'm doing," She answered in her cheery, bubbly voice.

"Burying Paul alive?" I was confused. "I mean, I know he's not always very nice, but hey, he deserves to live above ground too,"

She laughed. "No, silly, I'm just burying his body in sand! That's why his head isn't buried yet; so he can breathe! He'll be able to come out when he wakes up, anyways,"

"But why aren't you eating lunch?"

She shrugged. "Well, I'll do that later, I guess. I'm kinda busy right now,"

Suddenly, we heard a groan coming from the plum haired boy, making us freeze.

_Oh crap, oh crap, _please _don't wake up! _I begged in my head. _I'm too young to die!_

Paul stirred, causing some of the sand surrounding his body to loosen up and fall.

"What the hell…?" He muttered, opening his eyes to see the sand surrounding him.

I took that as my cue to go, and made a run for it before he saw me, hiding behind a rock nearby, since I knew that I wouldn't be able to run home back in time before he catches sight of me. Dawn on the other hand, wasn't so lucky.

"Uh heh heh…" She stuttered awkwardly. "May, you're _so _gonna get it," She mumbled under her breath.

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Troublesome, could you be soo kind as to _tell me what the hell's going on here and why I'm buried in sand_!

Dawn sweatdropped. "Well, uh, I… you… bye!" She gave up her efforts of explaining and just took off from her spot next to him.

Paul brushed all the sand off him and chased after her…not in an angry way, but…more…playful. Yeah, I know, weird, right? I was thinking the same thing. He caught her by the waist and laughed; he actually _laughed_.

I smiled; this is just too cute!

The two stopped what they were doing and turned towards me. Whoops, did I say that out loud?

"May!" Dawn cried, surprised. She rushed up to me. "You never saw that, ok? Don't tell _anyone_." She commanded a little harshly. I'm not sure if it was my eyes playing a trick on me, but I could almost swear that Paul looked a little hurt, but it vanished as quickly as it'd come.

I nodded before grinning slyly at her. "But you two were really cute though, you know that?"

Dawn blushed, while Paul looked away, but not before I caught a glimpse of a little pink on his cheeks.

"May!" She yelled, embarrassed.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I said dismissively, hurrying away before Dawn and Paul could kill me.

I finished my dinner and met Dawn in the hallway, cornering her.

"Do you need something, May?" She asked innocently.

I rolled my eyes. "No duh, Dawn! You know what I need; now give me all the details; I want to know everything about you and Paul!"

A light blush crept up to her face. "Well, not much to it, really…to tell the truth, we've been secretly dating and –"

"_What?" _I shrieked, shock written all over my face. "You and Pau –"

She covered my mouth to muffle out my screaming, making all of them sound like strange noises.

"Sshhh!" She shushed me. "We don't want everyone in the house to know!"

She shivered. "Especially not my dad…"

I nodded. "Ok, fine," I agreed, lowering my voice. "But when did this start?"

"Um…" She tapped her chin. "About…a week ago…I think…?"

"When are you planning on telling everyone?"

"I don't really know," She admitted. "But promise me you won't tell anyone until I'm ready to tell them myself,"

"Of course,"

"Ok, good," She hugged me. "You're a good friend, you know that?"

I giggled. "Yup!"

As we broke apart and headed our own ways, I went to my room. But when I got there, I noticed something beside my desk – a red rose…? I picked it up to examine; and that was when I noticed the piece of paper under it, which read:

**May, meet me out at the front porch at 9**

**I need to talk to you**

**- Drew**

What could this mean?

**Ok, so I know that this chapter's short, but it's only showing some events leading up to the end, and there isn't too much happening, so it saves a lot of time, which is something I really need, considering how little of summer there is left…but please review and let me know how it was or whatever; it helps motivate me and boost my self esteem! :)**


	7. Avoiding

**This chapter's going to be an important one! Kind of…but anyways, it's pretty short cause of some things I said last chapter.**

**funstt- ****haha, yup! :)**

**Kaileychicago- ****lol! You're on the right track! ;)**

**SurferGurl14- ****Thanks! So true!**

**Ikarishipping4ever- ****Thank you! Sadly, this chapter's the next day; this is to keep you waiting to see what'd happened the night before!**

**Allista- ****Thank you! And you'll find out what's gonna happen with May and Drew…eventually ;)**

**ice-beam- ****Thanks! Well, the first question, I can answer, since it's not really a big part of the story or anything, but the second; you'll have to read to find out! Misty slept downstairs to avoid Ash!**

**XxJigglypuffxX- ****Don't worry! Of course I'm continuing this story, silly! I never said I wasn't, only that I'm having a bit of a problem with having to finish by the end of summer, but since my chapter's been getting shorter, I might be able to; maybe even have some spare time! Oh, and thanks! :)**

**Chapter Seven**

**Avoiding**

**May's POV**

"_I love you," As the words left his mouth, I could feel disbelief, and yet joy, washing over me. The words had barely registered in my head, and I could barely breathe. "Wh – wha…?" I managed to stutter out._

_The night sky was silent as I stared at him, searching his eyes. I could see…fear? And…an emotion I couldn't identify. _

_He sighed softly, and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence, suffocating me. I couldn't stand it. "I…" I looked down at my feet. "I…love you too," I whispered, half hoping he hadn't heard. I'd just admitted it for the first time; to him _and _myself; to anyone, really._

_I saw him leaning in, and felt myself doing the same. I could feel his hot breath against my skin, and the next thing I knew, I could feel his lips against mine. The one word running through my head: perfect._

I woke up **(AN: Ha, thought that really happening, didn't you?)**, my hands clenched against the sheets tightly. That was _some_ dream…it just seemed so _real_…

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to ease my racing heart.

_Come on, May, get a grip!_

I shook my head and tried to think of something else to distract me as I got out of bed. But somehow, whatever I thought about, it always came back to Drew.

I sat on the warm sand, watching Misty windsurfing across the water, maneuvering skillfully on the waves. Ash, on the other hand, wasn't so skillful. I watched as he fell for the…um…let's see…_thirteenth _time this hour. Misty stepped off her board and laughed lightly, helping Ash back up and giving him a few tips, although her actions, even though they'd normally be friendly or teasing, were more distant and timid this time.

"Uh…hey…" I turned my head to see Drew sitting down next to me awkwardly. "About yesterday night…" His voice trailed off and he averted his gaze.

"Uh…yeah…" I could feel my cheeks heating up, so I looked away. "Um…"

_Oh my god _please_,_ _someone up there, make something happen! I can't take this!_

Then, as if someone heard me, Leaf came bounding over."Guys, come on! Jimmy's dad offered to take a picture of all of us! Let's go!"

"Sure," I said, standing up. Drew did the same, and we walked over to where we found them; a few yards from the water.

Misty, Ash, Dawn, Paul and Gary were already standing in a group, facing Jimmy's dad, who was holding a camera. Leaf, Drew and I got into the group. Jimmy's dad held up the camera. "Ok, kids, say cheese!"

We sweatdropped. Jimmy's dad was a really nice guy and all, but sometimes, he treated us younger than we actually were.

A flash came from the camera, and we all huddled around him to see what the picture looked like.

In the picture, I was standing next to Drew, at the far right, smiling and putting bunny ears behind his head; Drew, who was to the left of me, was smirking at the camera, and doing that hair flipping thing. Misty, who was to his left, was grinning and making the peace sign, while Ash, to her left, was doing the same as Misty (cute, right? Just like a couple already!). Dawn, to the left of Ash, was sticking her tongue out at Paul; probably cause of something he said, while Paul, next to her, had on his usual passive face, although it looked like the corners of his lips were tugging upwards. Gary, next to Paul, was wrapping an arm around Leaf, while said girl was glaring at him and seemed to be trying to pry it off, and next to her was Marina and Jimmy, who were both smiling and holding the other's hand. Wow, it's strange how much a picture can tell about people; guess it's true when they say a picture's worth a thousand words.

I chuckled at the funny picture; and I wasn't the only one doing that.

"Gee, this was a...different…picture," Marina commented.

"True," Misty agreed. "Very true,"

It was evening, and we'd all just finished dinner. I pulled Ash aside to somewhere no one else would see us. "Ash, I need to talk to you," I said.

"Huh? What is it, May?" He asked.

" Misty wanted you to meet her at the beach," I lied. I'm tired of them avoiding each other and being all awkward; I just want them to get together sooner so that everything can be less tense when they're in the same room.

He seemed confused. "Oh, uh…ok, then…" I made sure he'd walked out the house before wandering around to find Misty, whom I'd found washing dishes. "Hey, Misty,"

"Huh? Oh, hey, May, what's up?" She asked.

"Oh, Ash wanted to meet you at the beach,"

"…He…he did..?" She asked unsurely, ducking her head, probably to hide her blush.

"Yeah, now go! Don't keep him waiting!" I ordered, ushering her out of the house.

She did so obediently, and I sighed as soon as she was out of earshot.

Ok, now all I had to do was get the other girls…

**Misty's POV**

I headed on my way to the beach; although I have to admit it was at a pretty fast pace. I was anxious to know what Ash could possibly want to see me for; the question was nagging at me.

I found Ash sitting near the water, looking out into the golden sunset. It took a few deep breaths and minutes before I could gather up my courage and walk up to him. I guess he heard my footsteps, since he turned around to face me.

"You…wanted to meet me here?" I asked, although even I could detect the uncertainty in my tone of voice.

He looked perplexed. "Wait, what?"

"May told me you wanted to meet me here,"

"But…May told me _you _wanted to meet _me _here!"

We both paused for a second, and I let the information sink in. "Oh, May, you're _so _gonna get it!" I clenched my jaw, and I could feel anger emitting from me. I mean, setting Ash and I up for this awkwardness!

I thought I could hear a squeak from behind, but then again, I could've just imagined it.

"So…" I began, searching for the right words.

"Uh…" Ash seemed to be having the same problem.

So I just sat down on the sand next to him and watched the sunset.

"It's beautiful," I found myself whispering, only to mentally slap myself for the stupid comment.

_And romantic, _A voice in my head added, making me blush at the thought. I mentally kicked myself for that.

"Yeah," Ash agreed. I turned to look at him, only to see he was looking at me when he'd been talking. My blush deepened.

_OMGOMG is he talking about _me_? _Now I was mentally beating myself up; both for being girly (the OMG) and for the stupid thought. I mean, why would he mean me?

_Unless he feels the same way…_ _Misty, stop thinking this stuff and getting your hopes up! It's only going to get you more disappointed in the end!_

**No it won't! Not if he really does feel the same way!**

_But he doesn't feel the same way!_

**How would you know? He never said he didn't!**

"Misty, are you ok?" Ash asked with concern.

I blushed, realizing I'd been mumbling to myself, and giving slaps on my face. Guess I'm not really good at the whole doing things mentally. "Uh, yeah…I'm fine,"

"Look," Ash began, keeping his eyes on the ocean. "About that night…"

I felt alarmed; I didn't want to talk about this, especially if he was just going to tell me he didn't feel the same. So I decided to play dumb; which unfortunately, I was terrible at doing when I felt as nervous as I did. "Huh? What night? I don't know any night!" My voice went higher and higher with each word, and I was mentally strangling myself now for being so obvious about lying. Luckily, it really was mentally this time, so he didn't see anything. I really didn't want to look stupid in front of him.

**If you haven't done that already…**

"Shut up!" I shouted, accidently aloud. Note to self: Practice doing things mentally.

I could feel my cheeks heating up even more as Ash looked confused at my sudden outburst. "No, not you," I explained. "I was just…uh…never mind."

**Smooth…**

I could swear that at this point, I was _way _beyond as red as a tomato.

"Well, back to the topic," He said. _Damn! Guess there's no use trying to avoid it._

"Misty…it's just…well…" He seemed to be looking for the right words.

I sighed. _Here it comes…he's gonna say he doesn't like me that way…_

"Ash, look." I began, my voice gravely serious. "I know you don't feel the same way, so you don't have to say it. I'm perfectly fine with just being friends, ok?" I could feel my lip trembling a bit, and I mentally (Taking extra care to make sure it _was _mentally this time) scolded myself for being so weak in front of him.

"No, that's not it at all!" He protested, waving his arms in the air, alarmed.

Ok, now I'm confused.

He took my silence as a sign to continue. "Since that night, I've been thinking a lot…about how I feel about you,"

I raised my eyebrow. So this was it…the moment of truth. I could almost hear the drumroll in the backround.

"And…I figured out that…" Secretly, I crossed my fingers.

"I…" Come on; spit it out already!

"I really do like you," He admitted, blushing.

I almost couldn't believe my ears.

**Told you, told you he might like you! **

"So…" I blushed. "What now?"

"Kiss!" I heard a familiar, cheery, girly voice from behind. I turned around to see May and Leaf strangling Dawn and covering her mouth, while Marina just watched, looking amused.

"You all were watching that?" I exploded at them, blushing madly.

Their mixed responses were:

"…Uh…"

"Maybe…?"

"Well…well, uh, um…"

"If we said yes, would you kill us?"

The answer to the last one: yes.

**So, what do you think? I've never written any kissing scenes before, so…yeah, I'm not really good at it; this was my first one (I'm talking about at the beginning, even if it was just a dream), and it's kinda awkward for me…so that's why I'm probably not gonna make many kissing scenes, and even less of make out scenes, cause that would be **_**way **_**out of my comfort zone. Oh, and…I'm not really sure if I should make a sequel; I haven't gotten the inspiration yet…but if it's in school or whatever, then what do you think? Should it be problems in their relationship?**


	8. New Matchmaking Targets: May and Drew

**Moonlight's Shadow Warrior- ****Thanks! Oh, and I might end up using the idea! ;)**

**Ikarishipping4ever- ****Thank you! :)**

**Allista- ****Lol! . **

**Xxicececatxx- ****Thank you!**

**ice-beam147- ****Yup! Thank you! Don't worry; you'll find out what happened with May and Drew eventually!**

**Neon-Night-Light- ****Thanks! :)**

**Chapter Eight**

**New Matchmaking Targets: May and Drew**

**May's POV**

"Ugh…" I groaned as I sat up. No, my back wasn't sore from sleeping on the ground this morning; actually, I beat Drew to the bed yesterday night! But anyways, it's actually cause of Misty's torture session…and…because I had that dream again.

A part of me tells me to get closure with Drew; and to talk to him about that night. But the other part of me – the more scared part – is telling me not to try and just to leave our relationship as it is. I just feel so conflicted; and scared…everything feels so unclear; I've just never experienced this before.

At breakfast, I felt left out; as if I didn't belong, which had never happened before when I was with this group of friends. It was because every one of my closest friends now had their match, but I was still boyfriendless. I watched how they showed affection more openly (Dawn told everyone about her and Paul yesterday night; although there was a lot of shock at the unlikely couple), and couldn't help but feel wistful – and wish that it was how Drew and I could be like. Yes, I'll admit that I want us to be like that. After all, I already admitted that I liked him in the dream, didn't I?

So when there wasn't anyone there, the side of me that wanted closure convinced me to walk over to him and talk. "H-hey, Drew," I greeted him unevenly.

He looked up. "Oh…uh…hey, May," He responded.

I looked down at my feet and fidgeted a little. Never thought I'd want to be teased so badly.

"So…uh…do you know where everyone went?" I asked, trying to start up a conversation. Well, that, and I really was curious.

He shook his head. "No clue. You?"

I rolled my eyes playfully, trying to lighten up the mood. "If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you, would I?"

He cracked a smile. "Yeah, I guess not. Where do you think they could be?"

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

**Misty's POV**

As I was about to leave the house and go to the beach, I was pulled aside with a hand over my mouth; behind a house plant, by Dawn. I could see Leaf and Marina with her, too.

"Hey! What'd you do that for?" I asked as soon as her hand was off my mouth.

"Shh!" She shushed me, putting a finger to her lip.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine!" I hissed. "But just tell me what's going on!"

"Well, you see, I have a plan to get May and Drew together!" She squealed, clapping her hands together.

I raised an eyebrow. "You do?" I asked cautiously.

She nodded vigorously. "Yup!" She stated proudly. "Just like with you and Ash!" Her eyes widened as she realized what she just said.

"_You –_" I felt a hand clamp over my mouth as I was about to start a long and loud rant.

"_Shh_!" Leaf shushed loudly before slowly removing her hand from my mouth.

"What did you guys do?" I asked heatedly (but quiety).

"Oh, funny story," Dawn chuckled nervously, poking her two index fingers together. "Well, we…kinda…forced…Ash to go on that date with Melody to get you jealous…"

"_Wh_ –" Once again, a hand muffled out my screaming. I wrenched it away from my mouth and narrowed my eyes. "You know that you guys are gonna get it from me, right?"

They sweatdropped.

"Uh…yeah…we were expecting that," Dawn admitted.

"Ok, whatever, but anyways, so just tell us the plan, already,"

"Ok, time to play matchmaker…" Dawn smiled mischievously. "…again." She added.

**Ash's POV**

Where was Misty? She said she'd meet me at the beach, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Ash!" Jimmy called, waving his arms at me. I walked over to him, and saw that Paul and Gary were with him, but if they were with him too, where was Drew?

"Hey, where's Drew?" I asked.

"Not here," Jimmy answered. Seeing my confused face, he continued. "Because we're talking _about _him,"

"_Oh_, ok," I said, nodding my head. "So, why are we talking about him?"

Jimmy shrugged. "We want to get him and May together; they're the only ones who haven't gotten together yet, and it's too awkward. Actually, the girls are having their own group meeting right about now,"

"So…what are we going to do?" I asked, cocking my head to the side.

"We're thinking about that right now, but here's what we've got so far…"

**May's POV**

Seriously, _where is everybody_? I mean, I'm trying my best to keep this conversation between me and Drew going, but I'm running out of things to say! It'd be much more comfortable talking to him if only we weren't in this situation.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" Misty asked, coming up to us, with everyone else behind her. I had to suppress a sigh of relief.

"Where _were _you guys?" I asked back.

"Hey, I asked first!"

I sighed. "Fine. We were just talking, and _wondering_ _where you guys were_!" I smiled sweetly. "Ok, now your turn."

She shrugged. "Nothing you need to know,"

"You mean that we've been here waiting for you guys to show up for _forever _and you won't even tell us _where you guys were_?"

She nodded, not intimidated at all. "Yup, that's right,"

"Come on, just tell me!" I whined, switching methods.

"Nope, sorry, May,"

I sighed. Guess I couldn't get it out of her…

Today, at the beach, everyone spent time with their respective girlfriends or boyfriends, so Drew and I were pretty much left together. "So…what do you want to do?" I asked, albeit a little timidly.

"Well…do you have anything in mind?" He asked the same way.

This was going to be hard…

**Normal POV**

"Ok, time to start Mission Get May and Drew Together!" Dawn cried, pumping her fist into the air. They were far away from where they left May and Drew.

Misty looked at her weirdly. "Mission Get May and Drew Together?"

Dawn shrugged. "Got a better idea?"

"Point taken; guess we have to go with that,"

The group got into their respective pairs and spread out, blending in with everyone else at the beach, while spying on May and Drew without being noticed.

Misty and Ash went windsurfing; although Misty had to help Ash get back on sometimes, they still were able to spy on May and Drew.

Leaf convinced Gary to build a sandcastle with her, so they found a spot near May and Drew, and made a wall of sand so it would look like they were just some random people building something in the sand.

Dawn and Paul lied in the sand like they did every day, but this time, chose spots closer to May and Drew and put on sunglasses as to be harder to recognize.

Marina and Jimmy went to a nearby restaurant, sitting at the tables outside while eating so that they could glance over at May and Drew.

"Come on, come on! Do something!" Misty said as she watched May and Drew just standing on the beach, doing barely anything.

"Mist, should we do something, then?" Ash asked.

"Well, maybe…" She tapped her chin, although in the process having to let go, therefore slipped off the board and into the water. Ash reached out to try and catch her, but just ended up falling, too, being inexperienced.

Their combined weight caused a big splash, which had also soaked May and Drew, catching them by surprise. "Whoops," Misty said as she rose from the water.

**May's POV**

Drew and I were kind of just awkwardly standing there, making small talk every once in awhile. I wished that something – anything – would happen, when suddenly, we were soaked with water.

"What the hell?" Drew exclaimed.

"That just came out of nowhere!" I added, wiping water out of my eyes and ringing out my hair.

"Yeah, how'd you find that out, Sherlock?"

"Hey! I was just saying!"

_Well, at least we can be more open again; so I guess this afternoon won't be awkward anymore, at least…_**Well, I know this chapter's short; sorry! Actually, it was kind of a filler. Yes, I know, I know, I give too many excuses for short chapters, but I'm kinda running dry on ideas right now, unfortunately…well, hopefully, I can think of more for the next chapter! At least I know I don't have to rush anymore! So the next chapter might be longer…but if it is that would mean it would take longer, too. But now I think I have a…sort of semi-writer's block…**

**~xXFireRoseXx**


	9. Home Sweet Home

**Anelas101****- ****Thank you! **

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**Neon-Night-Light****- ****Thanks! That's sweet! :)**

**ice-beam147****- ****Lol; yup! :P**

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**XLivetoLaughX****- ****That's sweet; thanks! :D**

**Kaileychicago- ****Yup, that's right! ;)**

**Chapter Nine**

**Home Sweet Home**

**May's POV**

"Home sweet home!" I cried as I stepped out of the van and onto Dawn's driveway.

"Tell me about it," Dawn agreed as she stepped out too, holding Paul's hand. I noticed that Dawn's dad was watching them extra closely ever since he found out they were dating, so I saw him eyeing them, although they didn't notice, since they were too caught up with each other.

Drew stepped out, followed by Ash and Misty. As soon as we were all out, Dawn's father diverted his attention from Dawn and Paul for a brief second to lock the car, before we all went inside, where Dawn's mother greeted us.

"Oh, you're back!" She exclaimed, giving Dawn's dad a quick peck on the cheek, before turning to Dawn, and giving her a quick – but tight, that's for sure – hug.

She gasped when she realized Dawn had been holding Paul's hand. "Dawn, you and Paul are finally dating?" She asked incredulously.

Dawn blushed and nodded, before seeming to realize something. "Wait, what do you mean 'finally'?"

He mom laughed lightly. "I'm your mother, remember? I could see that you had a crush on him,"

"Mo-om!" She whined.

"Ok, sweetie, I'll stop," She said. "But would you and your friends like a snack?"

"No, thanks, Mom, we just ate lunch," She replied. "Maybe later,"

She then added, "We'll be up in my room," before heading upstairs with us behind her.

I heard a slightly faint, "Ok, Dawn," as we got further away from the front door.

As Dawn opened the door to her room, I smirked a little at the surprise I was sure that Paul was in for. He'd never seen the room, since he had that 'I-don't-want-anything-to-do-with-Dawn' attitude before, so he'd rarely ever even been in her house at all.

Paul's eyes widened and he gaped at the all-pink room. "I'm feeling a little nauseous now…" He murmured.

"Oh, come on, Paul, it's not so bad," Dawn nudged him in the side.

"Yeah, it is," Paul insisted. "I think I'm gonna be sick…"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, it's better than _your _gloomy black hole of a room,"

He grunted in response, crossing his arms over his chest and turning away. "Aw, come on, Paul, you know I love you,"

I could see the corners of his lips tugging upwards, but there weren't any other differences in his behavior.

Seeing this, Dawn huffed and pouted, before her lips crept into a sly smile. She tiptoed up to his height and gave him a quick kiss.

At that, Paul couldn't help but have his cool exterior melt. He smiled – yes, it's still kinda weird to see him do that, but let's not be mean, here – and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a one-arm embrace.

There were two things going through my head: One; _awww_…they look so cute together! I mean, Paul actually looks _happy_! And two; jealousy. I envied their happiness; I mean, anyone who wasn't dating would, really.

Laughing lightly, I plopped on Dawn's bed. "Aahhh, I never thought I'd miss a bed so much!" I sighed contently.

Dawn giggled. "Come on, May, it couldn't have been _that _bad!"

"How would _you _know? _You _didn't have to sleep on the floor; I mean, you were sharing the bed with Paul,"

They both blushed, and I smirked.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, though we all knew who was going to be there.

We raced downstairs and opened the door to see Leaf, Gary, Marina and Jimmy standing in the doorway.

"What took you guys so long to get here?" I asked.

Gary sweatdropped at the thought. "Well…see, this is really weird...but…" He looked inside the house. "How about we talk about this inside?" He asked.

"Oh, right…" Dawn said sheepishly, holding the door out wider for them to walk in. We sat down in the living room, before Gary began talking again.

"Ok, so long story short; on our way back, we saw a circus, and some clown was walking onto the road without looking – I still think he was drunk – ow! Hey!" The last part was from Leaf jabbing her elbow into his side.

"Anyways," He continued. "Now, where was I? Oh, right, before I got interrupted," He said pointedly, glancing at Leaf. "That clown really caused a lot of trouble; he said he was going to sue us and a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, before we finally got away from him, then there was a whole bunch of squirrels crossing the road; I swear, it was like a whole blur of little gray furballs! At the last comment, he got another jab from Leaf. He glared at her, and she glared back. "I told you, stop being so rude to innocent squirrels!" She scolded exasperatedly.

Gary started mumbling under his breath, which was almost inaudible, but I caught him saying something close to "Why do I like her of all people?" Of course, he got another jab, although this one looked extra painful. He yelped as her elbow once again made contact with his side. But this time, he kept his mouth shut, probably having learned from experience.

I sweatdropped. "Wow, guys, really?"

"Yeah, Leaf. May, here," He gestured to me with a sweep of his arm. "Has a point,"

This earned him another jab. "Keep your sass to yourself, Gary,"

"Wait, wait, slow down, here," He said. "I'm _sexy_, not _sassy_,"

Leaf lifted her elbow, and…you guessed it; she jabbed him again. "You'll be _dead _if you don't stop with these sassy remarks, mister!"

So while they were busy having their little argument, we all inched slowly towards the living room entrance. We didn't want to see them making out, ok? And I had a feeling that they were going to end up doing just that.

"So, what do you guys want to do?" I asked as soon as we were out of hearing range.

I saw shrugs. "Anyone up for some football?" Ash asked.

Misty put her hands on her hips in a sassy-like manner. "Hey, how many times do we have to tell you guys that we don't –"She stopped; the guys were already gone before she could finish.

"Well…they really were eager, weren't they?" I asked, sweatdropping.

"You can say _that _again," Dawn agreed, scratching her head.

"Boys," Leaf said, shaking her head. "We'll never understand them."

"And they say _girls _are confusing!" Misty added.

Marina had an amused look on her face. "Come on, guys, let's just watch them, then,"

Apparently, they chose to go to Drew's house, since he has that huge field of a backyard. As I stepped foot in that …uh…well…what Drew calls a 'backyard' I saw a football coming at me, and nearly dodged it. Key word: _Nearly_.

"Ow!" I cried, as it hit the side of my face. The football must've been thrown pretty hard, because it really hurt. I rubbed the spot that'd been hit.

The boys came running up to me. "Sorry," Drew apologized.

"You've got some arm…" I muttered. "Where can I get an ice pack?"

"Drew, why don't you help May find the kitchen and get an ice pack?" Marina suggested, although I caught her winking to the others. "I mean, you _are _the only one who knows how to get there,"

"But I kno –"Ash began, but Misty covered his mouth and dragged him away when he started struggling.

They were acting sorta weird…kinda like we kind of were when we were matchmaking with Misty and Ash…but hey, my head hurts too much for me to wonder **(AN: Haha, wow, right? :P)**.

The place that Drew calls a _house _was of course, as always, huge! More like a mansion if you ask me, but hey, that's just me. Well, me and everyone else that doesn't live here (that doesn't include the servants, because they technically _do _have lives and their own homes. Well, except for one; I think her name was – oh, whatever! Never mind about that! Just that it technically means everyone except Drew and his dad!)

We reached the _gigantic _kitchen in his house. Seriously, it's like the size of a football field in there! ...Well, maybe I'm exaggerating just a _little_, but it really is big. They have a huge kitchen, bigger than ones at restaurants, a movie theater, complete with the popcorn machine and soda, a _huge _backyard as big as a field, tennis court, basketball court, bowling alley; they're building a swimming pool right now (yeah, I'm surprised they haven't done it sooner; but that's why we went to the public one instead of going to one at his house/mansion in the first place) what next? A mall?

The cooks and chefs weren't very busy at this time, though, considering the only people living in the house were Drew and his father, and they weren't eating anything right now, so there wasn't any need to be cooking. Although, as soon as they saw Drew enter the room, they immediately stood up and separated into two different lines, facing the direction he was walking in towards them and bowed in unison. Sometimes, I really wonder if they practice that.

Drew nodded in response, and they all easily went back to whatever they were doing before we came in.

Drew got a bag from a (very fancy may I add) drawer, and filled it with ice from a (not fancy, but fancy _and huge_) freezer.

Drew held it out for me to take, but I didn't. "Can you help me?" I asked, pulling my hair aside from the side of my face.

He did so, and that was when I noticed the blush on his face. I stared at him, and noticed how close we were to each other and the position we were in, causing my cheeks to heat up too.

Boy, was I glad that the others weren't here to see this…

**Misty's POV**

Boy, was I glad that we were able to see this! I continued peering through the kitchen window (spying is such a strong word…but I guess that's basically what we're doing). I giggled (yeah, it is kinda girly…) a bit along with Dawn as I watched Drew pressing the ice pack against the side of May's face. I've gotta say, though, they were blushing pretty hard; they might've even broken me and Ash's record! But after awhile of watching them just blushing and all (you know, the works), I started hearing some munching, and turned around to see Ash eating chips _really _loudly. I saw May and Drew avert their attention to where we were, and immediately ducked, trying to shush him. He almost busted our cover before, I mean of _course _he knows where the kitchen in Drew's house is! He practically spends all his time there eating! In fact, I'll bet he goes there everytime we go to his house! But that doesn't mean that May and Drew have to know that! And now he might bust our cover now! When he kept on eating, I started panicking, so I acted on impulse, and kissed him. He stopped as he was about to bring the chip to his mouth, and I felt him kissing back.

"Eeww!" I heard someone saying. Ash and I broke apart. I turned to the others. "Really? You guys are too old for that!"

They shook their heads and pointed behind me. I turned in that direction to see a couple of little kids; looking about five or six, and flushed. "Oh." I said, feeling embarrassed, before turning to Ash. "We really shouldn't have any more PDA,"

He nodded.

"Guys, where are May and Drew?" Dawn asked, staring into the window, where they didn't seem to be there anymore.

We realized that they must've left the kitchen, so they must've been heading for Drew's freakishly huge backyard. We ran back there, where we saw May and Drew standing there and looking around. "Wait, guys," I ordered them, holding them back with my hand.

"Why?" Marina asked.

"Because," I began explaining. "Don't you guys see? They're _alone _right now,"

"So…?" Ash asked, dense as ever.

"_So_, why don't we just _leave_ them alone, so that something can happen?"

"Oohhh…" Ash replied, nodding slowly.

We started walking the other direction.

**May's POV**

Where _is _everybody? After we came back from the kitchen, they were nowhere to be seen! They didn't ditch us, did they? Like we did with Leaf and Gary?

Speaking of Leaf and Gary, I think I see them coming in our direction! Well, they don't look so happy, though…

They ran up to us, both frowning and panting. "We've been looking for you guys everywhere! Where have you guys been? Do you guys know how hard it was to find you? And where is everyone?" Leaf asked.

"Well, in order, we kinda ditched you when we saw that you guys were gonna end up making out in the end, no we don't know, and we think that the others kinda ditched _us_ when we went to the kitchen to get an ice pack for me after I got hit with a football.

They blushed from my first answer. "Well, it really was hard to find you guys, though; we looked in every one of our houses. But what is this about you and Drew going _alone _to get an ice pack?"

I blushed at the memory of Drew pressing the ice pack against the spot the football had hit me. "Well…uh…see, the guys were playing football…and the football just hit me, and it hurt…so…Drew helped me find the kitchen and…" I took care not to mention that he helped me with the ice pack itself, too. "helped me get the ice pack,"

"Oh…is that all?" Leaf asked. I could detect disappointment in her voice.

I nodded my head vigorously before noticing it and raising my eyebrow. "Yeah…why?"

"Oh, nothing," She responded nonchalantly. I then heard her add under her breath, "just that it's too bad nothing really happened, that's all,"

"What was that?" I asked.

"Oh, uh, nothing!" She said, obviously not intending for me to hear.

"Well, ok, then,"

"So should we look for everyone?" She asked. I knew that she was trying to change the subject, but I went with it anyways.

I shrugged. "Probably,"

"No, it's probably best not to; it's already about evening," Drew said.

I looked around and noticed that the sky was a golden color with light purple. "Yeah, I guess you're right," I looked at him. "Do you mind if I stay over for dinner, though? My mom's having my cousins over…"

He nodded understandingly. "Yeah, sure. I wouldn't want to be stuck with them in a room with food, either,"

I shuddered at the thought, before smiling at him. "Thanks; you know, when you're not teasing me, you're actually a pretty good guy,"

He blushed and looked away. "Yeah, whatever…" He mumbled.

I just laughed.

**Ok, so this is getting closer to the end, although the story's shorter than I'd first intended when I started it. Well, there was a blizzard, so school was closed for like two weeks, which is why the story was started later that it would've been. Anyways, here's my question this time: Should the sequel be focused on one huge problem with May and Drew, with smaller problems with the others? If it is, I could fit in more contestshipping, since it's mainly on May and Drew, so I don't have to fit in the other shippings as much. If I do, it'd still have the other shippings in there too, just not as much, with more contestshipping than the others. **_**Or **_**do you want it still to have all the shippings? Oh, also, I'm planning on making a story after this; which I'm having a lot of inspiration for at the moment. I'm having trouble with the title, but at the moment, it's called ****Pop and Movie Stars****, and it's on my profile! So if anyone has any ideas for that story, like maybe things that might happen or a title, please tell me? Hey! Maybe **_**that **_**can be the sequel! …Nah, I've already got another idea for the sequel, but if you **_**do **_**want it to be the sequel, please tell me? **

**And please review~ **


	10. Do You Love Me?

_**IMPORTANT AUTHOR"S NOTE**_

**Guys, I'm sorry; I posted the wrong chapter for chapter ten; see, sometimes I rewrite things, and so I ended up accidentally posting the first version instead of the second one – the one I rewrote. So this chapter posted is the actual one, ok?**

**Final Chapter**

**Do You Love Me?**

I sighed as I lied on the couch; today I had that dream again, and it keeps unnerving me like crazy! I _had _to talk to Drew. Of course, I didn't have his phone number; considering I always had to act like I didn't care about him and all; it's all _his _fault for being a jerk! Why couldn't I like some nice and caring guy?

…Well, that sounds more like Ash…but still! Why _Drew _of all people? I'll bet someone up there wants to kill me. Why does god hate me? I haven't done anything wrong…

…Besides that time that I kinda replaced Max's toothpaste with glue; but hey, it was _April Fool's Day _for Pete's sake! And that was my revenge! For what? Well…I don't think you really want to know.

I pondered over how to get a hold of him; I wanted to meet him somewhere private and sort things out.

Finally, I came up with my choices.

A; get someone to track him down, B; get someone to kidnap him, D; get someone to kidnap his friends to get his phone number – oh, goddamn it, I'm just gonna call Dawn and ask for his number…

No, then she'll tease me about it! Ugh! Maybe I should just go with B…

At last, I sighed and reached for my cell phone, flipping it open speed dialing Dawn's number. I brought it to my ear, waiting for her to pick up.

"Hello?" Came her voice.

"Hey, Dawn," I responded. "It's me, May,"

Her tone seemed even cheerier than usual when she found out who I was. "Oh, hi, May! I was just about to call you!"

I got suspicious at this. "Why?" I asked cautiously.

"Well, are you free at the moment?"

"Well…um…I…" I racked my brain for something to say to get out of this, and said the first thing that came to my head.

"I…have to…take my dog to the dentist!" I blurted out quickly, mentally smacking myself for that; I could practically see her rolling her eyes through the phone right now.

"Well…why don't you just drop your imaginary 'dog' off and we can go –"

"Hey, he's not imaginary!"

"Oh yeah? Then how come I've never seen him?"

"Err…he's invisible?"

_Oh, great going, May_

"Well, then just drop off your invisible dog, and we can go –"

I groaned. I guess there was no way out of this…

I then remembered what I'd called her for. "Oh, Dawn, I –"

"No more excuses! But since you're free, so you can come shopping with me today!"

_Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…_

"Dawn –"

"So, I'll be meeting you in the mall in fifteen minutes, along with Misty, Leaf and Marina!"

"Dawn –"

I was cut off as she hung up.

I cursed under my breath as I shut my cell phone. It's not that I have anything against shopping, or anything. Shopping, I like. But shopping with Dawn was like digging your own grave; and I'm _not _exaggerating. Last time I went shopping with her, I could barely move my arms for the week! No offense to her, but she was a total shopaholic.

"May!" Dawn called, waving her hand in the air to get my attention.

I jogged over to her, Misty, Leaf and Marina, to find Paul, Ash, Gary, Jimmy and Drew with them, too.

"Hey, guys," I greeted, before turning to the boys. "Not that I don't enjoy your company and all, but why are you guys here?"

"Our girlfriends dragged us here," Gary explained, jabbing a backwards thumb in Leaf's direction. "They said something about needing our help, or they wouldn't survive this or something like that, so we naturally, had to drag Drew, here, over," He jabbed his thumb in Drew's direction, "so that we could do our unfortunate part of being their boyfriends,"

Leaf gave him a slap on the shoulder.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, glaring at her.

"Just be grateful that I didn't jab you this time," Leaf said. "I'm trying to save my energy for torture time,"

He rolled his eyes at her. "It can't be _that _bad,"

"_Yes_, it can," Misty interjected.

"Well, that's only because you guys are only girls; we _guys _will be able to handle it; piece of cake!" He responded cockily.

Leaf jabbed him in the side.

"Ow! Hey, I thought you said you weren't going to do that!"

"Yeah, well, you deserved that for that sexist remark! Girls can do anything guys can!"

"No they can't," Drew said.

"_Yes_, we can," I argued, getting up in his face.

"_No_, you can't," He argued back, getting closer to my face, forcing me back a bit.

"_Yes, we can_," I said through gritted teeth, moving my face even closer to his.

"_No, you can't,_"

"_YES, WE CAN_!"

"_NO, YOU CAN'T_!"

"Um, guys…" Marina began.

"_WHAT_?" We both shouted at her, causing her to sweatdrop.

I looked back over at Drew, now _blushing_. What was he blushing about?

Oh. That was when I realized how close we were; I guess we got too caught up in the argument to have noticed earlier.

I started inching away from him; my face burning.

"So, if you two lovebirds are done arguing, let's go inside and shop till we drop now!" Dawn exclaimed merrily.

Misty, Leaf and I groaned, while Marina grinned. Oh, did I mention that Marina is Dawn's accomplice in this every year?

"You mean _you and Marina _shop, and _the rest of us _drop," Misty mumbled.

What Dawn said had then fully registered in my head. "Hey! We're NOT lovebirds!" I exclaimed, my face heating up again; just when it was starting to get back to normal.

"Wow, you _just _realized she said that, May? You really are dense," He said.

"Am not!" I protested.

"Guys, let's just go and get this nightmare over with," Misty muttered.

"Hey! It's not _that _bad! This time, though, there are twice as many of you!" She tapped her chin in thought. "Then again, that just means that this year, I'll be able to buy at least twice as much!"

Me, Misty and Leaf paled.

"Uh, are you guys ok?" Ash asked.

"They're just afraid of carrying the stuff," Gary said nonchalantly. "It won't be a problem with us guys, though,"

Oh, he didn't know what he was in for.

"I'm gonna die!" Ash cried.

I felt the bags weighing heavily on my arms, and murmured in agreement along with everyone else.

Marina and Dawn were running around the store; trying on everything that was on sale.

I could hear their faint voices in the backround: "Oh, this looks so cute!" "Gorgeous!" "Oh, I've _got _to have this!"

"Still so cocky, Mr. What's-so-hard-about-shopping-with-Dawn?"" Leaf snapped at Gary, who was struggling to stand up with the twenty or so shopping bags on his arms.

"Well, at least he's not the one who let Dawn use his credit card!" I said.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault!" Drew protested. "She took it forcefully!"

"Yeah, well, if you didn't let her take it, then she wouldn't have been able to afford all this stuff, and we wouldn't be in this mess! I mean, considering how much money you have, she could probably buy the whole store!"

"You saw what happened; she took it forcefully!"

"Oh, so you couldn't just find a way to prevent her from taking it?"

"You were there, remember? She handcuffed my hands to a freaking pole! I swear; she's like an animal when it comes to this stuff!"

I giggled at the memory of Drew being handcuffed to a pole by Dawn.

"Well, you could've helped me out, you know," Drew said. "Then she wouldn't have gotten it,"

"Oh, so are you saying this is _my _fault?"

"Guys, guys," Leaf said, stepping in between us and playing peacemaker.

I sighed, stepping back. "He started it," I mumbled.

"Started what?" Drew and I jumped at Dawn's voice. "Drew, you finally made a move?" She squealed, grinning from ear to ear.

We blushed. "No!" We exclaimed in unison, albeit a little too fast.

Her face became disappointed. "Aw, that's too bad…" I felt myself blushing even harder.

"So, uh, why don't you just get back to your obsessive shopping with Marina?" I asked, trying to change the subject and divert her attention away from me and Drew.

"Actually, I overheard you guys talking about how _terrible _it is to shop with me," She said, giving us all a pointed look. "So, I've decided that to save you all the trouble, we'll be going off with our girl/boy friends," She had a sly grin on her face; seemingly directed at me and Drew. Why was she –OH, HOLY CRAP! Drew and I are the only ones without a boyfriend or girlfriend so far; so we'll end up going together! I made a mental note in my head to get Dawn back for this.

"Oh, this swimsuit is adorable!" I squealed, grabbing it off the rack. "So, what do you think?" I asked, turning to Drew with the swimsuit against the front of my body.

"I _think _that you're almost as much a shopaholic as Dawn!" He exclaimed; carrying the pile of bags of clothes I'd bought.

"Aw, come on, Drew, just tell me what you think!"

He sighed. "But you already have a swimsuit,"

I rolled my eyes. "But I've had it for a long time already!"

This time he rolled his eyes. "You bought one only about a week ago,"

"Well, I've had it longer than most of my other ones!"

He shook his head at me and sighed again. "Why don't you try it out?"

I grinned. "Kay!"

I found a vacant changing room and walked into it, closing the door behind me, coming out a few moments later in the red swimsuit. Drew was standing a little away, leaning against the wall.

"So, what do you think, Drew?" I asked, catching his attention. I posed and he glanced at me, blushing after.

"So do you think it looks good?" He nodded, still not looking at me.

"Kay!" I chirped. "Then I'll put it on your other credit card!"

He gave another absent minded nod as I skipped into the changing room again.

"Wait…WHAT?" I heard, muffled by the door. I giggled in response.

"Don't you think you're eating _a little _too much?" Drew asked, staring at me as I shoved food into my mouth like no tomorrow.

"Ooh **(AN: No)**!" I cried – still with food in my mouth – as Drew started pulling away the container of French fries. I pulled it away from him forcefully, stuffing the rest of it in my mouth quickly. "Ah **(AN: Ha)**!"

He winced, shielding his face as little bits of food flew out of my mouth. I hurriedly swallowed, feeling embarrassed. After getting a sip of coke, I spoke again, though this time without food in my mouth. "So, where should we go now?" I asked as we stood up and started walking towards shops.

He shrugged. "I don't know; it doesn't really matter what I say, considering you're the one buying everything," I flushed in embarrassment.

"Whatever," I muttered.

"Do you think this looks cute, Drew?" I asked, holding up a red tank dress with a white belt.

He sweatdropped. "In case you haven't noticed, I'm a _guy_,"

"Oh. Yeah," I replied sheepishly.

"So, do you think this will look good on me?" I asked, rephrasing my question.

He blushed and looked away, seeming hesitant. "You'd look beautiful in anything," He said softly.

I could feel myself turning red. That really wasn't the answer I expected, though it really was flattering.

I gave him a light slap on the arm, trying to lighten the awkwardness. "That's so corny, Drew,"

"It's really what I think, though." He replied, his tone serious. "May…" He looked me square in the eye. "Do you like me or not? I know it's kind of forward, but…I just can't take not knowing anymore,"

I bit my lip. Sure, I was hoping to settle it with him today, but I wasn't prepared to do it right now.

"I…well…yeah, actually…" My eyes widened as I said the last part. To tell the truth, I guess…it was just hard for me to accept how I really liked him. That dream – a repeat of that night – had been haunting me ever since it had happened.

Even Drew himself had surprise reflecting in his eyes. I stared into his emerald orbs as he stared into my sapphire ones. "I…" He seemed to be at a loss for words, so began talking again.

"I think I actually love you, really," I said, barely above a whisper. "I mean, I just think that it was hard for me to actually admit it, and I actually think I've liked you for years without realizing it…" I found myself nervously rambling animatedly, ruining the dramatic moment. "And then you told me that you loved me and –" At this point, I was waving my arms in the air, though I stopped as I saw him leaning in. My breath hitched in my throat as all this happened, but I leaned in as well nonetheless.

"Kiss, kiss, kiss!" This was when I noticed that a crowd had formed around us, as they chanted.

I hesitated for a moment, before slowly closing the gap between us.

I should have been self-conscious about kissing in public, with a crowd watching us intently, but as I melted into the kiss, I didn't notice anyone else in the room; it was as if it was only me and him.

After a while, we pulled back – though reluctantly – and stared at each other, just now noticing the crowd's cheers and whistles. But the people who stood out the most amongst the crowd were Misty, Ash, Dawn, Paul, Marina, Leaf, Gary and Jimmy, who were cheering the loudest.

I gasped. "When did _you guys _get here?" I exclaimed.

"Oh, we just followed you guys the whole time," Ash blurted out, before quickly covering his mouth after realizing what he'd just said.

Misty smacked him upside the head.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his head.

"Great going, Ash!"

I shook my head. "I should have known they'd do something like that…" I muttered.

Drew, beside me, chuckled. "Well, yeah, but they made this summer all the more exciting,"

"Yeah, I guess you could describe it that way," I smiled at him. "But it was more like hectic, if you ask me,"

He smiled back; a real, genuine smile. "Well, this "hectic" summer got us together, though, didn't it?"

My smile became even wider, as I entwined my fingers with his, leaning some of my weight onto his chest.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't have asked for a better summer,"

*~ **The End~***

**Hey, guys, I know this was a late update, but hey, at least I updated, right? But in my defense, I'd already started writing this over a week ago, but then school started and all that business, you know; but anyways, I think I got my inspiration now for the next story! See, I'm really into Pokeshipping again like I used to be years ago (before I discovered this website) so it's going to be a major part of the sequel, too; it's like the second pairing there…kind of like a side story, I guess. But of course, there's still gonna be Contestshipping! And Ikarishipping, probably Oldrival too; though I'm not sure about Quest…anyways, can you guys vote on my poll to help me decide which will be the main pairing on the sequel? I think there's going to be mostly Contestshipping, considering I've only written stories for that so far, but yeah…;)**

**~xXFireRoseXx**

**P.S; I'm not sure if this is just me, but has my writing style changed? I'm not sure, but it just doesn't seem to be the same style all throughout the story…**


	11. Sneak Peek to Confusion and Disapproval

**Ok, so some people asked for an epilogue, but there's going to be a sequel, so here's a little sneak peek at it! I didn't put their names in there for a reason; so you can guess who has what problems, because it won't show until the actual scene in the sequel!**

* * *

"_So_ _what _if your dad won't let you see me anymore!" He yelled; his fists clenched at his sides and fury evident in his emerald eyes. "My dad won't let me see you anymore, either!"

"I told you, I can't defy him!" She yelled back angrily, frustration and hurt building up inside her. Tears brimmed in her sapphire eyes, her expression overall helpless.

"You're such a daddy's girl!"

"You're just upset because I have a better relationship with my dad than you do with yours!"

* * *

"Ugh! Why do you always have to be goofing off? This is serious!" She exclaimed in frustration, running her hand through her fiery orange hair. "If we don't find a way to help them, this might ruin their relationship forever!"

He held his hands in front of him in defense. "I know that, but that doesn't mean we have to be so serious all the time!"

* * *

"Can't you at least show _some _emotion? You're always so cold, even to me!" She shouted at him, obviously hurt and angry.

She searched his onyx eyes, trying to read them, but true to her words, they were void of emotion. His face was unreadable.

She turned on her heel and ran, and unsurprising to her, he didn't follow. But just as she was out of his sight, a single teardrop slid down his cheek.

* * *

"What?" She shrieked disbelievingly at the brunette across from her.

He shrugged. "I told him to move on and find another girl,"

"How could you do that?"

He shrugged again. "If they can't be together, then he might as well get another girlfriend. I mean, it's not like he can't get another one, and girls are easily replaceable,"

She looked hurt, and he immediately knew he'd said the wrong thing. "I didn't –"He began, reaching his hand out and trying to correct himself, but she interrupted him.

"Is that really all I am to you?" She asked brokenly, having feared this for a long time.

* * *

**So, how do you think it is so far? This is just showing some scenes of it, not in order, and not with the same people, but I hope the sequel seems good so far! Oh, yeah, and the summary to the sequel, Confusion and Disapproval, is on my profile!**


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